


Where the Wind Calls

by Denebola_Leo, Senigata



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Jessie/Kunsel - Freeform, Lemon, Light Angst, Minor Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Minor Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough, Self-Discovery, Smut, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23795785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denebola_Leo/pseuds/Denebola_Leo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senigata/pseuds/Senigata
Summary: [Sequel to Age of the Mountain]They say you only really appreciate something after you've lost it. For some it's a person, for others a precious item. It was something Jessie could relate to as she stared out into the endless horizon of twinkling stars with only the wind as her companion.
Relationships: Cissnei/Jessie (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I bet some of you thought I was dead. Don't worry still alive and kicking, just focused on this little baby here for a while and now is a good time to actually post it. Hope you'll enjoy.

**Where the Wind Calls**

Kalm.

Such a fitting name for a sleepy little town bordering on the edge of the world. In the early morning hours one had nothing but the sound of the wind as their companion as it wafted over the walls surrounding the town and between the buildings.

Everyone was still asleep, dreaming pleasantly as they headed towards the dawn of the next day, before waking up to follow their daily, yet happy, routine.

She used to be like that, too. Carelessly living her life day to day and getting ready to join adult society like the other kids her age did.

Not anymore.

Not after _it_ happened.

Living in Midgar opened her eyes to a lot of things very early on, but it didn't prepare her at all for what she witnessed two months ago.

It had started slowly at first. Small power fluctuations inside the Mako reactors that caused outages all over the city for a short period of time. Then, one day, the entire system went offline; the entire city went dark, never to be turned on again.

It didn't take long for the city to fall into chaos. Riots in the streets and robbery made it look like the plate had turned into the slums below. Shinra's Department of Public Safety had been about ready to break up the mobs with lethal force when all of a sudden, the entire earth had started shaking, so much that everyone could feel it, even through the earthquake-proof plates.

A shadow had descended upon the city, turning day into the darkest of nights.

Then, all hell broke loose.

People would later give multiple accounts of what happened, that an army of demons had come to claim their souls; that the planet had taken revenge upon the city that was tormenting it. No one could say what really happened, because their memories were foggy at best. It was as if their minds were trying to protect them from the truth.

Only one thing was for sure: Shinra had been dealt a deadly blow.

After everything had calmed down, the Shinra Building was all but destroyed, the Shinra army as well as their SOLDIER corp crushed and their executive body either dead or vanished. The survivors had lost any will to fight and, as fast as the city had fallen into chaos, it had become eerily peaceful again.

Not long after, the plate dwellers all headed down into the slums, the area of the city that had been spared from most of the devastation.

With upper Midgar amounting to nothing more than a ghost town, people started to leave the city in droves, either returning to the places they originally came from or to find their fortune somewhere else.

Jessie had been one of them. Together with her parents and friends she had left with the first wave of people, deciding to stop here in Kalm. Biggs had immediately said this was a good place to start anew, with Wedge being quick to agree.

That had been two months ago now. It was the middle of July and life was moving forward. Jessie's eyes moved over the horizon, towards the barren plains where Midgar was. Her father had told her that the people still living in the area were building a new city by dismantling the entire upper plate for materials, shortly before he had left to go join them in that endeavour.

Yes. Life was, indeed, moving forward. So why did she feel like she was frozen in time, watching helplessly as everyone seemed to walk right past her and towards a new dawn, while part of her was still there, on top of the plate on that forsaken city in early May?

Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, she could see images flash inside her mind; a vision of a giant eye the color of finest amber, filled with even more eyes. Staring at her; into her.

But as quickly as that vision appeared, it was gone again, like it had never been there in the first place, and in its place a feeling of restlessness came that she could not shake.

From behind her shoulders, the first rays of sunshine hailed the new day. Letting out a sigh, Jessie rose to her feet and started to make her way back to the place she called home these days to get a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

By the time Jessie awoke again it was already past ten, and from the silence she could already tell that she was alone in their humble home.

 _Home, huh?_ she thought as she made her way down the stairs, tying her hair into her usual ponytail. It wasn't a big house, but there was enough room for herself and her parents, providing her with a room of her own where she could tinker on something well into the night.

They had kind of inherited the place from someone that had died a while ago, and since none of the townspeople had laid claim to it, the three of them had moved in.

As she walked into the kitchen, she spotted a folded piece of paper on the table lying in front of a covered plate. She didn't even need to read the note to know what was written on it, yet she did.

_Couldn't sleep again?_

_I saved some breakfast for you. Come by the shop later._

A smile formed on her face as she put the note aside and took the lid off the plate. Simple eggs and bacon, nothing special, but filling enough.

Good old Mama, always thinking of her.

Grabbing a fork from the cabinet, Jessie sat down and enjoyed her breakfast. She debated for a moment to make herself some coffee, but decided against it. There was always work to be done these days.

Once done, Jessie put the plate into the sink and left the house.

Kalm had become quite busy. With Mako not being a viable energy source anymore, the town needed to go back to their previous source of energy, but as it turned out the old fuel generators had seen better days. Luckily, Jessie knew a thing or two about mechanics and had offered to lend a hand.

On her way, some of the people that she had gotten to know over the last two months greeted her in a friendly tone, to which she raised her hand and sent them a little grin in return.

The townsfolk had been kind to them when they first arrived; it was only natural that she wanted to give something back in return.

By the time she arrived at the little shop she called her workplace, Jessie could already hear a few curses echoing from the inside, causing the grin on her face to grow even wider.

"Seriously, you really have to stop getting so mad, Lars. It's not good for your heart," Jessie said teasingly while opening the door. She just narrowly avoided the oily rag that was thrown her way. "And a pleasant day to you, too."

"Whatever," was the reply she got. Lars was probably the most surly looking guy she ever met. In his late forties, he still looked like he had no problem lifting a grown Chocobo and tossing its feathery ass out of town. His long, red hair was tinged with gray and tied into a low ponytail. "Finally awake."

"Rough night," was her reply as she headed into the back to put on a work apron.

Lars only grumbled in return. He was always in a bad mood, but Jessie knew he was a good guy at heart and was one hell of a mechanic.

"So, what's on today's agenda?" she asked after she returned.

"What isn't on it?" he shot back.

"True." She stepped up to the workbench to look at the neatly taken apart motor lying on top of it. "Another generator shot?"

He shook his head with a grunt. "Just needs some cleaning. Almost done. You can take a look at the motorcycle of the Handerson boy."

Lars pointed towards the right corner of the workshop where Jessie saw an old, beaten up motorcycle that clearly had seen better days and looked like it could fall apart just by looking at it.

Yeah, she could fix that.

"Roger~" She did a little salute, grabbed some of the tools, and went to work.

Jessie spent the better part of the day trying to fix what she would come to affectionately call _'that rusty piece of shit'_ , but had to put it aside when Lars needed her help with a little emergency that suddenly came in. By the time they were done, it was already almost evening and too late to start working on it again. At least it didn't look like the next gust of wind would scatter it all over town, so she booked that as a success.

"Going to have to work on it some more tomorrow," Jessie said while wiping her hands clean. She turned to look towards Lars, who was sitting down and taking a long drag of his pipe.

"Suit yourself," he said after exhaling the smoke. "I wouldn't give that little shit a bike even if he personally begged me to. Just watch him bring it in a couple of days later because he trashed it."

"Aww come on, don't be like that. You were also young and stupid once," Jessie said teasingly. "Back when they invented electricity."

He snorted but otherwise didn't respond.

"Anyway, I'm going to get some food," she said, then took off her work apron to put it into the back. She used the sink there to properly wash the rest of the oil from her hands and some that had gotten on her face, before returning to the front where Lars had risen to his feet. "So, see ya tomorrow?"

"Sure. If you're actually on time," he commented.

Jessie frowned for a moment. It wasn't like she was out partying all night. Her frown was replaced by a grin though, and she playfully nudged the older man's shoulder. "Sure, if you stop being such an old grump."

As if to underline her point, Lars grumbled, making Jessie burst into laughter.

"Alright. See ya," she said amidst laughter, then headed out of the door. After stepping outside, Jessie let her feet guide her the already familiar way to the place where her Mama, Biggs and Wedge were making their livelihood.

Shortly after they had arrived, Wedge uttered the idea that her mother should open up a pizza joint in town. Jessie had scoffed at the time, saying a place like that would never work out in a town like Kalm, but Wedge hadn't budged on the issue, saying: "Pizza feeds the soul, and right now a lot of people could use that."

Biggs had joined in soon after and it didn't take long to convince her mother after that. The woman always had a fondness for the two and had pretty much adopted them into the family. Jessie didn't even bother to convince them otherwise after that, opting to just leave them to their own devices.

The next couple of days, the three of them had constantly huddled together, talking about what they needed, how much it might cost to acquire, and so on. Ultimately they lucked out, because there was an old bakery in town that had gone out of business a long time ago that they could use.

And in the end, as crazy as the idea had sounded to her at the time, it worked out.

"Welcome, what can I get—Oh! Jessie," her mother greeted her as soon as she stepped inside. She had to smile at the sight of her, looking every bit the loving mother that she was even with a bit of flour on her cheek. "Biggs! Wedge! Jessie's here!"

"Took yer time!" Biggs called out from the back.

"Girl's gotta earn her keep as well," Jessie called back and walked up to the counter, resting her elbows on top of it.

"Hungry?" Her mom asked her with a smile, brushing some of her brown hair behind her ear.

"Famished."

"The usual?" Her smile turned into a grin.

"You betcha!"

"One Midgar Special coming right up." Her mother walked over to the door leading to the back to talk with Biggs and Wedge.

Jessie chuckled to herself as she peeked through the door to look at them. Biggs and Wedge, pizza bakers extraordinaire. If someone had told her that months ago she would have laughed in their faces. But things had changed since then, and they were doing their best to move forward.

It made her wonder if she was the only one with that hollowness deep inside of her.

* * *

A few days later, Jessie found herself sitting on the wall again, looking out into the night while everyone else was sleeping peacefully, her gaze focused on the western horizon.

 _One more sleepless night_ , she thought to herself, running her hands over her arms. Despite it being July, the nights out here could be quite chilly.

She jumped a little when she heard steps approaching from the side, and turned towards the sound to see none other than Biggs approaching her.

"So this is where you come?" Biggs asked after sitting down next to her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked out towards the horizon. "Beautiful view, isn't it?"

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same."

"Point."

Biggs let out a hum and turned his gaze upwards. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"What?"

"The stars." Jessie turned her gaze towards the direction Biggs was pointing to see the stars shining brightly above them. It was true, they were beautiful. How come she had spent nights staring into the distance without ever taking the time to really _look_? "You'd never see a sight like this in Midgar."

"Do you miss it? Midgar I mean?" she found herself asking as she stared at a particularly bright star.

"It was home for a long time, even if it was a shithole, so yeah I kinda miss it. But it's pretty much gone now, so no use dwelling on the past. Only thing we can do is move forward." He looked at her. "But it's not that easy for you, is it?"

She shook her head. "No, it isn't."

"Is that why you're sitting here?"

Jessie let out a sigh and tore her eyes away from the stars. "It helps a little."

"Looking at Midgar?"

"No. Midgar is in that direction, I'm looking that way." she pointed towards the horizon, where far away the wide, open western sea was located. "There's so much out there I only heard about, but never saw. I know it sounds crazy, but the thought comforts me."

"I see..." was all Biggs said before silence set over them.

Jessie had spent all of her 18 years living in Midgar. It had been a comfortable life, if not always happy, but it had been hers. And from one day to another, it had been torn apart, leaving her with nothing but the people she cared about and a hollow feeling deep inside her where the thing that had driven her forward once rested.

Whatever she had witnessed that day had robbed her of the one thing that had kept her going through all those years: her purpose.

And that, she realized now, was what kept her rooted to the spot while everyone else was moving on.

She had absolutely no purpose in life.

Next to her, Biggs let out a deep breath. "Maybe that's it."

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked, turning to look at him.

"Maybe you need some time away from here. See the world out there," he nodded to himself before giving her a small smile. "Maybe that'll allow you to gain some peace."

 _Gain some peace, huh?_ Jessie thought. Her eyes turned back towards the horizon, concentrating on where she knew the sea was, and everything beyond it. She felt a small rush of excitement at the thought of seeing what was beyond the sea. And maybe, just maybe, Biggs was right.

"And what are you gonna do?" she asked.

Biggs grinned. "Get rich off pizza, of course."

Jessie let out a chuckle that soon turned into laughter. He looked at her for a moment, before joining in. When was the last time she had laughed like this? She honestly didn't know. But it felt good.

After the two of them had calmed down, Jessie leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as he circled his arm around her. A smile formed on her lips at the memories of times spent together like this, staying up late and talking all night in a room only lit by the light of the television.

Those nights had truly just belonged to them.

Jessie still remembered that feeling when he had kissed her for the first time, how happy she had felt back then. It was quickly replaced by a twinge of bittersweet pain inside her heart. Their romance had sadly fizzled out way too quickly, like a moth drawn to a flame.

They were better off as friends, but if she could turn back time she would do it all over again.

"Biggs?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," she told him while closing her eyes.

"None needed," he replied. "Just...don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Mhm. Promise," she murmured.

"Don't fall asleep on me now. I ain't gonna carry you back home."

Jessie snorted. "Ass."

The two of them remained like that for a while longer, simply talking like they used to in those nights that felt like a lifetime ago now, before returning home.

There she found her mother, still awake and sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea.

"Mama…" she said.

"Have a seat," the older woman replied with a calm voice that made her feel like a little girl again. With a sigh she did as she was told, sitting down opposite of her. Jessie didn't manage to look at her, opting to instead look down on her folded hands as she drank her tea.

After some time she spoke again. "There's something you want to tell me, isn't there?"

Slowly, Jessie managed to lift her gaze to look into her Mama's smiling face that told her whatever she would tell her, she would accept. It had been the same smile she had given her years ago when she told her that she was dating a slum dweller and, much later, when she admitted that she was also attracted to women.

"...I'll be leaving. Tomorrow," Jessie finally said.

"I see…" her mother let out a little chuckle. "Well, you are at that age already. My, how the time flies, it feels like yesterday when you were still my little girl. But look at you now, all grown up."

"I promise that I will write to you regularly, but...I need this."

She watched as her mother tapped a finger onto the table for a few seconds, before rising to her feet and heading into the kitchen.

"How about one last pizza then?" she asked her, making Jessie smile.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

The next day, Jessie packed her things and said goodbye to everyone before leaving in the direction of Junon. And for the first time in months, she could feel a little bit of excitement welling up inside her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After Midgar, Junon was the largest city in the world. A steel giant resting against a large seaside cliff looking out at the vast ocean, its famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) giant cannon, the Sister Ray, pointing at anyone that would question its authority.

But having lived in Midgar for years, Jessie found the sight almost mundane in comparison as the truck she was sitting in slowly drove towards Shinra's second city.

"Surprised ya actually want ta go there," the driver said. "Heard lotsa people are leaving Junon these days."

"It's the only place where I can hitch a ride out west," Jessie replied, leaning back against the seat.

"Trying ta find yer fortune on the western continent, eh?" He chuckled. "Back in mah days people were tryin' to get the hell away from there ta try their luck over here. Times sure have changed."

"That they have," was all Jessie said before closing her eyes and listening to the country song coming from the car's stereo.

After another 20 minutes of listening to a couple more Billy Gil classics, they arrived at Junon.

Or rather, the quiet fishing town underneath it. A frown formed on Jessie's face as she got out of the truck. This place reminded her way too much of the slums in Midgar, the only difference was that this place didn't have the tangy smell of Mako in the air and didn't seem to be sprawling with criminals.

At least she hoped so.

"Thanks for the ride," Jessie said to the driver, who gave her a wry little smile.

"Ya sure I shouldn't take ya somewhere else instead?" he asked.

"Positive." She closed the door and gave him a little wave before taking a step back to let him pull the car around.

"Good luck, kiddo," he said, giving her one final nod, then drove off.

Once the truck was out of sight, and the music was nothing more than an echo in the distance, Jessie shouldered her backpack and looked around.

"Now, where to start?" she wondered out loud.

Jessie walked the streets for a bit, watching the residents as she passed by them. They didn't seem to pay her much mind, only occasionally eyeing her because she was still a stranger.

It was a strange sight to be honest; she would have expected more hostility towards outsiders. Living underneath a large city must have made them get used to strangers showing up.

A low humming sound from next to her made her turn to find an elderly man sitting in a rocking chair on his porch, a pipe in his mouth and an old and beaten flat cap resting on his head. His gaze was focused on the beach below, where Jessie spotted a little girl playing with a dolphin, a sight that made her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Not many folks coming to Junon these days, young lady," he addressed her all of a sudden.

"So I heard," was her reply.

"Can't really blame 'em, with what happened in Midgar. Junon still has some power, but it's waning, so a lot of the people above are taking part in the exodus as well." He puffed out some smoke from his pipe. "Gotta hand it to that Tuesti fellow though, he's not giving up."

"What, like Reeve Tuesti from Urban Development?" Her eyes widened in surprise. She thought he would be a goner, too.

"Mhm." The old man nodded. "Came here two months ago to personally inspect the underwater reactor. Lucky him, eh?"

_Understatement of the century_.

"Interesting guy. He's trying to repurpose that underwater reactor back into a geothermal power plant. Even came down here to ask us for help," he told her, eyes still focused on the beach below. "He's a different sort for sure. Hears the voices of the people. But the people above have little faith in him. No one wants to live in a metal husk, after all."

"And you're not leaving?" Jessie asked him.

"My people have been living here for generations. We didn't move away when Shinra built their city, and we won't be moving away if the city dies. That's just the way we are. The sea is in our blood, it's a part of us." He nodded towards the little girl. "See my granddaughter there?"

Jessie's eyes returned to the little girl who was now sitting on the dolphin's back, clapping in delight as the sea creature did a little jump. _Amazing._

"We've always had a connection to the sea. It was why we were such good fishermen. Ah, but now I'm rambling. What is it you're seeking, young lady?" the old man asked and finally turned his attention to her, looking at her with eyes like the vastness of the ocean itself. It startled her for a second to see eyes with such an intense shade of blue.

"Ah. I'm looking for a way into the city. Trying to take a ship out west," she said to which the old man nodded.

"There used to be an elevator that Shinra personnel used to take to get into the city down that street." He pointed down the road with his pipe. "It's out of order now. To cut down on power usage. But there's an emergency staircase close by. Just head towards the elevator, it's a giant metal door you can't miss it, and from there just keep to your right until you find an emergency hatch. It'll lead right up into the city."

"To the elevator, to the right, emergency hatch. Got it. Thanks," she said and presented the old man with a grateful smile.

"Don't mention it. May fortune find you on the western continent."

Jessie shouldered her backpack once more and started to head down the street, when the old man spoke up again.

"The sea and the mountain giveth and they taketh."

She turned to look at him. "That a proverb?"

The old man laughed, his hand moving to scratch a rash on his neck. "Something like that."

Jessie let out a chuckle and shook her head, before continuing on her way. Weird old guy.

Like he had said, the elevator was hard to miss and from there she headed right until she came across the emergency hatch, partly covered up in brushes that were starting to grow over it. She managed to open it with a little bit of effort on her part and headed inside and up the stairs. By the time she had arrived at the top dropped to her knees to catch her breath.

What was it with Shinra and their obsession to have their cities be so high above ground?

After resting for a bit, she opened the hatch with a press of the button embedded in the wall next to it, letting out a sigh of relief that this one opened without problems. Jessie emerged in an alley nestled between two large buildings that led out towards the street. As she stepped out, she saw a couple of people walking about.

She walked over to the person closest to her.

"Excuse me?" But he simply walked past her, ignoring her completely. Letting out a small huff of annoyance, Jessie headed over to the next person with about as much success as the first time.

"I'm not buying anything," said the third person she tried to ask for directions, then rudely pushed past her.

"Asshole," Jessie swore under her breath, then looked around. In the distance she spotted a pair of Shinra troopers talking to each other. A frown formed on her face. They weren't exactly her favorites, but she didn't have much choice in the matter.

"Excuse me?" she called out as she approached them, making them turn towards her. Whatever remained of Shinra really must only barely scrape by; they didn't even wear their concealing helmets.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" one of them asked.

"I was hoping I could ask for directions. I was looking for the docks?"

The troopers shared a look, before the other one replied: "Just head down straight that way, but if you're looking for a ride on the ferry I'm afraid you're out of luck. Ship's just headed out a couple of hours ago."

"Aww crap! When does the next one arrive?"

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks!?" This was just getting better and better.

"Sorry, ma'am. It's to save fuel."

She let out a groan. "...Great. Is there a place I can stay at?"

"There's a hotel in the same direction," the first trooper said. "Easy to spot, too."

"Thanks," Jessie said, letting her shoulders slump in disappointment. She gave the two men a little wave, then headed down the street and into the insides of Junon's infrastructure, passing a T-junction where Jessie could see a group of technicians mingle at the end of the huge corridor to her left. Soon enough she emerged on the other side and looked around until she spotted a huge sign reading: _Blue Coral Inn_.

_Guess I don't have much choice_ , she thought before walking towards the building. The only other option would be to swim, and she honestly doubted her capabilities in that area.

As she entered, a soft bell like sound echoed through the entrance hall, and Jessie couldn't help a little smirk as she noticed the sensors placed near the bottom of the door. Despite everything that happened, she would never stop loving tech.

The man sitting at the counter was putting away the magazine that he was reading and presented her with a welcoming smile. It looked a little forced.

"Welcome to the Blue Coral Inn. What can I do for you?" he asked as she stepped up to him.

"I need a room. For two weeks," Jessie replied.

"Hitching a ride on the next ship, huh?"

"That's right."

"We have a very nice room that's still vacant," he said and Jessie had to stop herself from scoffing. Every room was _nice_ in a hotel to sucker in guests and she was pretty sure there couldn't be too many of those.

"Sure I'll take it. How much?"

"That'll be 120 Gil per day."

"120!?"

The man shrugged. "That's our regular price. It's way cheaper than the other hotels in the area and I can assure you—"

Whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by the light flickering violently, then turning off for a moment, before turning on again but way dimmer than before. He cursed under his breath.

"Generator giving you problems?" she asked.

"And how," he admitted with a grimace. "Been trying to have the technicians take a look at it for some time now."

"I could take a look," she offered. "I might not look like it, but I know a thing or two about this stuff."

He seemed to perk up at her words, looking at her with raised eyebrows. "You would?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "How about in exchange for...half off?"

"Half off!?" he looked almost offended. "90."

"80," she countered.

The man pursed his lips for a moment before clasping her hand in a firm handshake. "Deal. _If_ you manage to fix it."

"Don't you worry your handsome, little head about that," Jessie said with a wink. She had to admit he was kinda cute. "So where's the generator?"

"Right this way." He led her down into the basement. Unlike in Kalm, this wasn't an old timey fuel generator, but a much more modern one that used a Mako battery as its source of power. They were a clever invention since they could last up to a year.

Jessie put down her backpack and pulled out a flashlight. "Let's take a look see."

She didn't take long to find what was wrong and turned to the proprietor. "Some of the wiring got loose. I need to take out the battery to fix it. Better tell your guests they'll be without power for about 40 minutes."

"Okay." He nodded and went back up the stairs while Jessie walked over to her backpack again to take out what tools she needed. She waited a moment for the man to notify his guests via intercom, then flipped off the safety and removed the battery, shrouding the entire basement in darkness in the process.

"Alright, let's fix you up, shall we?" she asked the silent generator. She put the small flashlight between her teeth and went to work.

It took her a little longer to fix the wiring because of a mixture of bad lighting, needing to open the thing up to double check, and being a lousy piece of crap but in the end, Jessie placed the battery back into place, flipped on the safety and smirked in satisfaction as it hummed to life and the lights turned on once again.

"Presto," Jessie said and placed a hand on her hip. She turned her head towards the stairs when she heard steps coming closer.

"Is it fixed?" the proprietor asked as he entered the basement.

"Yup," she replied and twirled her screwdriver in her hand. "Good as new."

The man let out an audible sigh of relief. "Well, you kept part of your deal, now it's time I kept mine. Follow me."

She put her things back into her backpack and shouldered it before following the man upstairs. There she signed herself into the guest book, paid for her two week stay and was handed her keys.

"Second floor, room 4. It's down to the left from the stairs. Have a pleasant stay, miss."

"Thanks," she said and headed up the stairs. She creaked open the door and found a clean and well lit room, the wooden bed covered in navy blue sheets. The furniture was all made of a warm hued wood, and the walls were an off-white. The curtains and lampshade were the same color as the sheets.

Once inside her room, she placed her backpack on the ground and threw herself on the bed, closing her eyes for just a moment. It hadn't worked out like she planned, but she would have to make do. Maybe she could find a job for a couple of days and earn some more funds. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

Pushing herself off the mattress, Jessie rose back to her feet and opened the only other door in the room to find a modestly sized bathroom with a clean toilet and shower. She couldn't help the smile forming on her lips; a shower was exactly what she needed right now.

Jessie did a little stretch, then entered the bathroom. She took off her clothes, carelessly discarding them on the ground, before stepping into the shower and turning on the water. As the hot water hit her body, the brunette cooed and closed her eyes. Her muscles screamed out in joy as the ache of her journey was washed away with every droplet on her skin.

_Soooooo good!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And she arrived in Junon. City definitely has seen better days, but leave it to Reeve to think of something!
> 
> More to come soon. See ya.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After finishing her nice, long shower, Jessie stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a fluffy looking bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head. She walked over to her backpack and pulled out her comb before sitting down on the bed.

Drying her hair a bit more, she pulled the towel away and started to run the comb through her long, brown hair. Jessie released a sigh through her nose and turned to look out of the window where she could see the sun starting to set.

 _You made it to Junon, girl. Let's see how the next two weeks are gonna turn out,_ she told herself. On her journey here, she had still fallen back into her old habit of looking towards the sea at night. It wasn't as bad as it was back in Kalm, but there was still that hollow feeling creeping around deep inside her, festering where she once had a purpose in life.

With another sigh, Jessie let herself fall back to lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Would she manage to find what she was looking for across the sea?

She hoped so.

Right now, though, all she could do was wait.

But—

Jessie sat back up and returned to combing her hair, this time with a bit more vigor in her motions.

—Perhaps she could use this little break in her journey to try and have some fun. It had been a while since she had a night out.

After thoroughly combing her hair, Jessie tied it back into its usual ponytail and rose to her feet, dropping the bathrobe to the ground in the process, before walking over to her backpack.

She didn't bring anything fancy with her, but she could still dress in something clean.

_Gotta ask if I can do my laundry around here somewhere._

Jessie made a mental note of it as she pulled out a clean blue T-shirt, a pair of hot pants, and a matching set of bra and panties.

After putting it all on, she headed back into the bathroom to check herself in the mirror for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction and leaving her room. As she entered the lobby again, she found the proprietor sitting behind the counter, having gone back to reading a magazine. He looked up from it when he noticed her coming down the stairs.

"Heading out?" he asked her.

"Yeah. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where a girl can go to have some fun?"

The man chuckled. "Just down the street is a bar that's pretty popular. These days lots of people like to drink away their worries, but the owner is a lady that doesn't take any crap, so there's no danger of anyone going overboard."

That sounded pretty good.

"Hmm, thanks!" she said and made her way towards the entrance.

"Have a good one."

Once outside, Jessie could feel the sea breeze gently caressing her skin, making her close her eyes and enjoy the feeling for a moment as it cooled her on this warm summer evening.

Opening her eyes again, she crossed the street and looked down at the ocean below, stretching as far as the eye can see as the sun continued on its slow descent to hide itself behind the horizon until the next day began. A truly beautiful sight.

Jessie remained there for a bit longer, then continued on her way down the street. Finding the bar was easy enough, as she could hear the music echoing lazily through the open door.

The inside of the bar was almost completely wrapped in blue, with only a few overhead lamps over the round tables spending additional light that reflected off the polished wooden floor.

Behind the bar sat an attractive, red-headed woman that calmly turned her head towards Jessie when she noticed the new arrival.

"Welcome," she said in a smoky voice as Jessie sat down on one of the bar stools. "Always nice to see a new face. What'll it be?"

"Hmm, I dunno. Can you recommend something to me?" Jessie asked in return, resting her chin on her palm.

"How 'bout a Junon Breeze?"

Jessie cocked an eyebrow at the name.

The bartender's smile was amused. "It tastes better than it sounds."

"Sure," Jessie chuckled. "I'll take one."

"Alright. So, what brings you into town?" the bartender asked while gathering what she needed for the drink.

"Just passing through. Trying to hitch a ride across the sea."

"Figured as much," the woman said. "Truth be told, I also thought about just packing up and heading towards Costa del Sol. Open up a new place there."

Jessie watched as the woman masterfully mixed her drink, the fluid motions almost seeming hypnotic to her eyes.

"So why don't you?" Jessie asked.

"Hm. Maybe I'm just too sentimental. Or maybe I'm actually trusting what Tuesti says. Either way, I'm still going to be here and serve drinks for little lost souls," the woman said with a wry smile and poured the drink into a glass that she placed in front of Jessie.

"Do I look lost?" she asked the bartender. It must have been especially funny, because the woman let out a little laugh.

"Hon', these days everyone's a little lost." She poured herself a glass as well and held it out towards Jessie. "So, here's to us lost souls."

"Heh," the brunette chuckled at that and clanked her glass against the other, before taking a sip. "Hmm. Really does taste better than it sounds."

"Told you so."

After putting down her glass, Jessie had a look around the place. There weren't many patrons yet, and those few that were there seemed to be keeping to themselves, some sitting at one of the tables, while others were far off to the site. Her eyes fell on one particular person, sitting furthest in the back, almost obscured by the shadows. A girl that couldn't be that much older than her, dressed just as casual as her. Wavy hair, whose color Jessie couldn't tell in here, flowed just past her shoulder.

She didn't seem to notice that she was being looked at, as she was too busy staring deep into the glass in front of her; like it was holding the answers to every riddle in the world.

Jessie jumped a little when all of a sudden sat down right next to her.

"Wew, what a day. Hey, can I have the usual?" a deep, male voice asked.

"Sure, hon'," the bartender replied.

Tearing her eyes away from the girl, Jessie turned her head to look at the new arrival. Dark blond hair was kept in a neat, short haircut, slightly slicked back to create a more professional look that fit his dark, short-sleeved shirt and waistcoat to a T. His face held a youthful air, having still a little bit of roundness to it, but she could already tell that in a few years he would have high cheekbones that only further enhanced his already handsome features.

Was it getting hot in here?

This time her staring didn't seem to go unnoticed as he turned his head to look at her with deep green eyes that held an almost jade-like glow in them.

No. Turns out the only hot thing in here was him.

"Yes?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

_Say something, you idiot!_

"Hi!" she said with a huge grin.

_Ugh, great going!_

He blinked once. "Hi?"

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath to calm herself. _Come on, Jessie. Not the first hot guy you talked with,_ she reminded herself.

Biggs might have been her first boyfriend all those years ago, but he certainly hadn't been the last. And she wasn't a stranger to the odd fling, either.

She just had a big weakness for pretty faces. Men and women alike. And this face in front of her hit all her checkmarks.

He looked at her expectantly, his gaze not even turning away when he was handed his glass.

Of course!

"So what's it your drinking?" she asked.

Handsome quirked an eyebrow for a moment, but then answered: "Pandemonium's Taifun. Pretty good to relax with after a hard day of work."

He pointed at her glass. "And you're having a Junon Breeze."

"Yeah. Tastes better—"

"—than it sounds," he finished for her, causing them both to laugh.

Feeling relaxed and sure that the ice was now sufficiently broken, Jessie held out her hand. "I'm Jessie."

The corners of his lips turned up into a smile and he grasped her hand, giving it a small shake. "Name's Kunsel."

"Interesting name," she commented. He just shrugged.

"It's the name my parents gave me."

"So Kunsel," she said to test how it sounded on her tongue while running a finger over the rim of her glass. "Since you're here to relax after 'a hard day of work', mind if I ask what your job is?"

"Hmm, I dunno...I might have to kill you if I told you." He looked at her with a serious expression on his face, before breaking into a grin. "I'm just kidding. Not to brag, but I work for the big shot in town."

"Tuesti?"

"Yeah. It's a temporary arrangement, though. Until everything in the city has been taken care of. Then I'm out."

"Don't like it much?"

"Hm." He shook his head and took another healthy sip of his drink. "I have other pressing matters to attend to."

"Such as?"

Kunsel gave her a wry smile. "Now I feel this is getting a little bit personal here."

Jessie felt a small blush stain her cheeks. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry..."

He let out a chuckle. "It's alright. So what brings you here?"

"Ha." Now it was her turn to smile. "I'm afraid that's Top. Secret."

"Fair enough. So how about I buy you a new drink once you've finished this one?"

"I'd like that," she said. They talked a bit more about this and that, until both their drinks were empty and, true to his word, Kunsel ordered them a new one.

"So, top secret?" he asked as Jessie took a sip from her new drink, a cocktail that was apparently rather popular in Costa del Sol.

"Not really that top secret," she said with a light shrug. "I'm planning on taking the ship over to the western continent."

"And once you're there?"

Jessie looked down at the bar counter, then turned to let her gaze wander the room, before settling back on him.

"I dunno," she admitted. "I guess I'll see when I'm there..."

"I see." Kunsel took a sip. "I have business over there, too."

"Wanna join me?" Jessie asked, half playfully, half seriously. She really wouldn't mind a hottie like him around.

"Can't. Have a job to do," he said with a serious expression on his face. "I owe the director and I intend to see this through."

Jessie could see something in those green eyes of his, a sort of familiar restlessness; questions that needed to be answered. And she didn't know if it was that, or the obvious attraction that she was feeling towards him, that made her reach her hand and gently place it on his.

"Well, we're both here now, aren't we?"

He looked at her in surprise, before a small smile formed on his lips once more.

"Yeah. I suppose we are."

The two of them spent the rest of the evening talking, time that the naughty part of Jessie's mind spent on sending Kunsel various signals that he, much to her frustration, didn't seem to pick up upon.

Eventually it started to get a little too late, and they called it a night, leaving the bar together and heading down the street while still talking.

"Well, this is where I'm staying," Jessie said as they stopped in front of the Blue Coral, putting her hand behind her back and looking at him expectantly.

"I see. Well, I guess I'll see you around during your stay?" Kunsel asked and made to turn while raising his hand. "Have a good night."

Jessie groaned inwardly. Was he really not interested? At all?

She had to try one last time. "Hey, Kunsel."

"Yeah?" He turned around to look at her. But before he could ask any further Jessie all but jumped him, threw her arms around his neck, and captured his lips with her own. Kunsel didn't react at first, seemingly surprised by her sudden attack, but soon enough he leaned into the kiss as well, one of his hands moving to the small of her back to push her closer.

They remained in this sweet embrace for a few moments, before pulling away.

"Wow, I-uh—thought there was something but I didn't want to assume so I—" Jessie moved a finger to stop him from talking.

"Why don't we continue this conversation in my room?" she asked in a low voice that made his eyes cloud over with obvious desire.

Kunsel nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy, it's mah dude Kunsel! Kun-sel!
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> Aight Imma head out. See ya!  
> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably where I should mention that thigs are getting smutty. So if that's not your thing, please skip to the scene break line.

**Chapter 4**

After entering the hotel, Jessie led Kunsel to her room, holding his hand almost gently as they ascended the stairs, only for her to jump him once the door closed behind them, claiming his lips in another, much hungrier kiss.

A little moan escaped her when Kunsel's tongue pushed past her eager lips, brushing eagerly against hers, the taste of the alcohol intoxicating her even further. Her hands moved to his waistcoat, opening it one button at a time. He shrugged it off, letting the garment drop down onto the floor before starting to undo his shirt while still eagerly kissing her.

The need for air eventually forced them apart, and Kunsel used the little distance they gained to pull off his shirt as well, revealing his well-trained chest to her. Jessie couldn't help but let out a sound of appreciation as he let her hands roam over him for a moment, before moving down to grasp his hands and slowly lead him towards her bed.

"Have a—" She turned them around and playfully pushed Kunsel towards the bed, the back of his legs colliding with the edge and forcing him to sit down. "—seat. I would be an awful host if I didn't have you sit down for what's next."

"What's next?'"

Jessie just gave him a seductive little smile. Her hands moved behind her head to undo her ponytail, letting her hair cascade down her back. After dropping the hair tie to the ground, she crossed her arms to her waist and pulled off her T-shirt, making a small show of it and throwing it at Kunsel, who caught it with a chuckle.

Turning around, Jessie presented him with a nice view of her behind as she undid her hot pants, giving it a little shake as she slowly slid them down her legs. After stepping out of them, she turned her head to look over her shoulder and send him another smile, before reaching behind her back and undoing her bra.

She let out an audible sigh as the clasp came undone, and she let the supportive garment slide lazily down her arms while turning around to give him a good view of her girls, as she liked to call them.

"Like what you see?" she asked him while striking a playful pose.

"Oh, definitely," Kunsel said, his pretty jade eyes roaming every inch of her exposed body. Seeing the obvious desire in his eyes caused a rush of excitement to go through her entire body, making her feel powerful for the first time in what felt like ages.

Slowly, she dropped down on all fours and crawled towards him, a saucy grin forming on her lips as she inched closer to him like a cat hunting its prey. She ran a hand up his leg, gently stroking it through his pants as it closed in on the part of his body that interested her the most right now.

Jessie made short work of his belt with dexterous fingers, then opened his pants. Biting her lip, she curled her fingers under the hem and roughly pulled them down together with his shorts, revealing his cock in all its glory.

"My, my, someone's _definitely_ happy to see me," she said, gently taking hold of it and running her fingers up and down his shaft. It gave a little twitch at her soft caressing.

"Well, what can I say?" he replied.

"I think the time for words is over." Without waiting for a response from him, Jessie leaned forward and ran her tongue over the velvety skin of his glans, making him release a groan that was pure music to her ears.

She ran her tongue up and down his entire length, then started to plant kisses all over it before returning back to his head. Giving Kunsel one last heated look, Jessie wrapped her lips around his cock and started to suck him off.

"Fuck..." Kunsel moaned, covering his eyes with his hand while falling on his back. She bobbed her head up and down in a slow rhythm, using her tongue to massage his glans to draw out even more sounds from him that fuelled the fire between her legs.

Her other hand moved down and into her panties, brushing past brown curls and towards the wetness of her pussy. Jessie moaned around Kunsel's cock as she slipped two of her fingers into her waiting hole, caressing her insides and preparing them for the main course with every single stroke.

Kunsel let out another, louder, moan as Jessie started to pick up her pace, taking even more of him into her mouth and sucking on him like his dick was the last lollipop on the entire planet.

From his twitching Jessie could tell that he would soon blow his load, but as much as she would love to taste some of his jizz, the ache between her legs screamed out for his dick to be inside her now.

She released him with a loud, wet pop, giving the tip one last kiss, before crawling on top of him and watching as he uncovered his eyes.

"I don't know about you, but I really want to fuck," Jessie said in a sultry voice as her eyes fell upon his. In the darkness of the room, the glow in his eyes was even more intense, sending a thrill up her spine that made her shiver in anticipation.

Something sparked inside them for a fleeting moment, and before she could react, Kunsel had flipped her around and was now the one hovering over her.

"I think I can oblige," he replied, his voice grown just a little deeper with lust. Not wasting any time, Kunsel dove face first into her breasts, giving each the attention they desired as he left a trail of kisses and little bites on her soft skin.

Her eyes rolled back a little as he started to greedily suck on a rock hard nipple, making her gasp in delight. "Yes..."

Kunsel alternated between sucking and nibbling, moving over to her other peak when he felt this one had gotten enough attention for now. She arched her back, pressing herself closer to his face. A small mewl of disappointment escaped her when he pulled away, but was soon after replaced with little sighs as he started to trail kisses down her body.

He was pretty good, she had to admit, and any woman would be thrilled with how much attention he was giving her right now. But as sweet as it was, it wasn't what Jessie wanted.

Burying her fingers into his hair, she made Kunsel stop just shy of her crotch, making him look her in the eye. Another shudder went through her at that jade glow inside them. "No foreplay. Just fuck me."

She let go of his head again, seeing him visibly swallow as he pushed himself back to his feet and fully stepped out of his pants. Biting her lip in anticipation at the sight of him, Jessie pulled off her now soaked panties and flung them carelessly across the room. After getting rid of his pants, Kunsel picked them up again to take out his wallet, and Jessie could already see the familiar silver wrapping of a condom before he even took it out.

"I like a man that thinks ahead," she said, stretching herself lasciviously on the bed. Today was a safe day, and as horny as she was she had been prepared to yolo this one, but better safe than sorry, she supposed.

"A friend of mine always told me to be prepared for anything," he replied, tearing the wrapping open.

"You got a smart friend." With a smile, Jessie rolled onto her stomach and slowly pushed herself on all fours, offering herself up to him.

"No, he's actually kind of a dumbass," he chuckled, but Jessie could hear the clear affection in his voice. The mattress shifted as he rejoined her on the bed and Jessie spread her legs a little more as his hand placed itself on her hip. His wrapped cock stroked over her folds, teasing her with the promise of so much more. She was just starting to get frustrated, when he finally slipped inside, turning any complaint on her lips into a moan of pleasure.

A groan escaped Kunsel as her insides gave him a tight, welcoming hug, and he leaned over her to plant kisses on the back of her shoulder.

"Fuck, Jessie!" he hissed into her ear when she pushed her ass out to take that last bit of him inside her as well.

"Mm. That's exactly what you're doing, big guy," she replied breathily, then moved her hips forward to create that friction she wanted badly right now. "Don't make me do it all alone though."

"You're killing me, you know that?" he asked before retreating back again and placing both of his hands on her hips.

The small feeling of loss she felt as he pulled out was almost instantly replaced with pure hot pleasure as he entered her again. She let him find a rhythm he was comfortable with, before joining back in once more.

"That's more like it," she moaned out, the slapping of skin on skin following every time she met his thrusts halfway.

A small yelp of surprise escaped her when he grabbed her by her arm and pulled her flush against him, only to be replaced by a giggle as he greedily grabbed her tits.

"Do you...like them?" she asked breathily in between moans.

"Yeah..." he half moaned, half growled, his thrusts never stopping even as he played with her girls.

"Mmh."

She let him do as he pleased for a while, before taking hold of his hands just as he was pinching her nipples just the way she liked. But she needed more.

"C'mon, I need it harder," she told him and released his hands again.

"Heh, whatever the princess desires—" was his reply before pushing her forward, making her grab onto the headrest. His hands grabbed her hips tightly. "—she shall get!"

Without further warning he started to pound her hard.

"Fuck, yes that's it!" she moaned out.

The headrest rattled as Jessie's fingers grabbed it even tighter. She clenched her teeth as Kunsel's cock pushed deep inside her in a furious rhythm that made her toes curl in pure delight.

Jessie's vision started to blur and her head was spinning as every cell in her brain was overloaded by hot sparks of pleasure. Her lips parted, but no words came out, only intangible moans and body gave completely into the ecstasy she was feeling.

_Not long now,_ that little part of her rational mind she still had left told her before it, too, succumbed.

Kunsel grunted, his hips buckling as he sped up even further. Jessie was already too far gone, not caring about anything but the approaching climax.

Then, finally, her body seized up as a wave of pure bliss came crashing upon her, making her cry out her release. She could feel his cock thrusting into her a few more times before Kunsel stiffened as well, blowing his load into the rubber with one final groan.

Jessie collapsed onto the mattress, sweat glistening on her entire body as she tried to catch her breath with a satisfied smile on her lips. Behind her, Kunsel pulled himself out of her and let himself sink onto the mattress as well.

"That was...wow!" he exclaimed. "You okay?"

"Mmh!" was her only reply as she slowly turned around, which was a little difficult since her arms were feeling like mush right now. After she finally managed to lie down on her back, she watched as he tied the end of the condom into a knot and threw it into the nearby trash can. Turning towards her, he gave her a little grin and made to move on top of her, but was stopped by one of her feet being pushed against his chest.

"And what is this gonna be?" she asked teasingly.

"Hm. Thought I'd get a kiss from the lady as a reward for a job well done," Kunsel replied.

She looked at him for a moment, putting on a little show of considering his words, before removing her foot. "The lady accepts."

Their lips met in a deep kiss, tongues immediately seeking each other out, and Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him a little closer. They remained like this for a bit, before the feeling of something poking her thigh made her break the kiss.

_Oh my, oh my,_ she thought. _Someone's got stamina._

"You got another one?" she asked.

"My mother didn't raise an idiot," he replied with a smirk. "Why? Does the lady desire another round?"

Jessie bit her lip, feeling desire well up deep inside her already. Instead of saying anything, she pulled him in for another kiss.

* * *

Jessie was startled by the sound of an alarm, shortly followed by a curse from behind her. She cracked her eye open and looked over her shoulder to see Kunsel getting out of bed. The corner of her lip quirked upwards when she sneaked a look at his butt.

"Work?" she asked, a little groggily.

"Yeah. Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

She rolled onto her back and waved him off. "It's alright. Need a shower?"

"Definitely, but I'll take one at the barracks. Quicker that way," he stated and started to pick up his clothes. She watched him while he got dressed. He had just buttoned his shirt when he turned towards her. "Say...am I going to see you again?"

Jessie opened her other eye, a little more awake after hearing his question. She liked him; he was a nice guy, and hot on top of that. But he had a job he was serious about fulfilling, while she was struggling to find a meaning in this changed world.

She didn't want to string him along.

"Kunsel..." she sighed, sitting up in the bed. "I'm planning on leaving in two weeks, and you got a job here that's keeping you busy. Let's...not make this any more complicated than it has to be."

"I...understand," he said calmly and picked up his vest. "I won't say I'm not disappointed to hear that, but I was kinda expecting it. Still, I appreciate your honesty."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay. It was still an amazing night, wasn't it?"

Despite herself, she chuckled. "That it was."

Putting on his vest, Kunsel gave her one last smile, then walked over to the door. He looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end decided against it and walked out of the door.

With a sigh, Jessie let herself fall back onto the bed.

_It's for the best,_ she told herself in an effort to quell that feeling of guilt inside her chest. It only worked a little.

She closed her eyes to try and get a bit more sleep. But the only thing she managed was to toss and turn restlessly. Eventually she gave up and sat back up again. Looking out of the window, she saw that the sun was already rising. _Maybe an early morning walk might calm me down._

Getting out of bed, she got dressed again, then headed out of the door. Inside the lobby she found the person working the night shift sitting behind the counter, reading a book that she hadn't heard of, and otherwise ignoring her.

Once she stepped outside the building, she closed her eyes to enjoy the cool sea breeze for a brief moment just like she did the previous evening. As she opened them again, she noticed someone standing across the street.

It was a woman, her back facing Jessie as she looked out onto the sea. Her slightly wavy, shoulder-length hair was floating in the wind, its color reminding her of cinnamon. Something about her was familiar...

As the woman turned around, Jessie caught a glimpse of her face, and realized where she had seen her. Yesterday, in the bar.

She had been sitting in the corner, half obscured in darkness, staring deep into her glass but never once touching it.

The cinnamon haired woman crossed the street, heading straight to where she was standing. For a moment Jessie thought she was going to address her, but soon realized that the other woman was actually heading towards the door.

Just as she was about to pass by her, their eyes met, and Jessie felt herself rooted to the spot when she saw something eerily familiar reflected in those deep, hazel eyes.

It was a look that she had seen whenever she gazed at herself in the mirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now who could this mysterious lady be?!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"There you go, good as new," Jessie said as she handed the woman in front of her a small wooden box. The woman opened it to reveal a little Chocobo figure that started to slowly spin and 'dance' to the cheerful tune coming from inside.

"Thank you. My daughter is going to be very happy," the woman said and closed the music box again, placing it on the table next to the door. "Here's your money."

"My pleasure," Jessie replied as she was handed the money.

"I heard you're going to leave soon?"

"Yup. Tomorrow with the next ship."

"That's too bad. You've been a great help around here," the woman said.

"I'm afraid it was always just a temporary thing," Jessie replied. "Have a good day."

After the door closed, Jessie started to make her way down the street. Her hand moved to place the gil she had been given into her wallet together with the rest she had earned earlier today.

The last two weeks had been interesting, to say the least. It had started the day after her night with Kunsel. She had wanted to wash her clothes in a nearby laundromat, only to learn that one of the washing machines was making enough problems that the owner herself had actually shown up.

Friendly as she was, Jessie had offered to take a look. For a reasonable discount to wash her own laundry of course. But as so happened the owner was a terrible gossip, and soon after people had been asking around for 'the new mechanic' in town.

With every other mechanic being too busy working on the reactor there was no time to take care of the little things, so it had kinda fallen upon her to take care of it. Not that she minded too much; the pay was very good and it provided her with something to pass the time, making these two weeks fly by.

She stretched herself as she entered the hotel lobby, letting out a small moan when she heard a satisfying crack.

"Busy day?" The proprietor asked.

"My last day here after all," Jessie replied, raising her hand in greeting as she passed him by to head up the stairs.

All she wanted right now was to take a nice long shower and get something to eat. She pulled out her keys and made to unlock the door, when the sound of another being opened made her stop.

Turning her head towards the sound, she watched as the cinnamon haired stranger stepped out of the room right next to hers.

After she had encountered her that early morning, Jessie couldn't get the look in the other woman's eyes out of her head for the rest of that day. Imagine her surprise when she had learned that she occupied the room right next to hers.

From then on, she encountered her every day, without fail, and always in passing with neither of them speaking so much as a word. Always just a quick glance.

Until a couple of days ago that was, where, much to Jessie's surprise, the other woman had sent a small smile her way as she passed her by. Just like she was doing now.

The first time had surprised her, the second time she had been unsure, but now Jessie found the corners of her lips curling into a smile almost of their own accord when their eyes met.

Still, no words were said as the other woman walked past her, but this time, Jessie found her eyes trailing after her, focusing on the back of her head. Her wavy, cinnamon-colored hair swayed from side to side with every step, and a tiny part in the back of her mind wondered how it might feel between her fingers.

Slowly, her eyes wandered downward, moving past her back and coming to rest on a rather shapely behind she had to say.

Realizing what she was doing, Jessie tore her eyes away and shook her head. _Down, girl!_

She unlocked the door with an audible sigh and stepped inside, making a beeline for the bathroom as soon as the door had fallen shut behind her.

Time to get that shower!

After taking that sweet, sweet shower, Jessie dried herself before putting on a clean set of clothes and leaving her room once again to go buy herself some food at what had quickly become her favorite place in town.

It was a little Wutain restaurant, nestled in between two buildings, that made the best fried noodles she had ever eaten.

And the best part: you could order take out.

Jessie preferred to eat them while walking along the edge of the residence level, looking out towards the sea and simply enjoying the view.

Just like she did now.

It was a strange feeling, knowing that she would travel across the ocean tomorrow. She had never been on a boat before either.

"Amazing view, isn't it?" she heard a familiar voice ask her, making her turn towards its source. It was Kunsel.

She hadn't seen him again after the night they had spent together, partly because she was avoiding him if she was being honest.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Living in Midgar you don't really get to see such a sight. Even if you live on the plate, it's just an empty wasteland as far as the eye can see."

"Mmh." Kunsel stepped closer to her. "Tomorrow's the big day, huh?"

"That was the plan and it still stands." She turned to look at him. "Came to say goodbye?"

"Actually I did. Was on my way to your hotel when I spotted you here," he said and rubbed the back of his head. "Listen, I just wanted to say that there's really no hard feelings from my end. We had fun and that's it."

Jessie released a breath through her nose, before giving him a small smile. "Thanks. You're a good guy, Kunsel. I'm sure some girl will be happy to have you."

"Heh, maybe. When I actually get the time. Believe it or not but I'm out of town for a couple of days myself. Supposed to check out that little "Midgar Edge" project."

Jessie let out a little snort. "Are they really calling the new town that?"

"Seems so. Apparently Director Tuesti wants us all to work together here," Kunsel said. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say."

He was just about to leave, when Jessie said: "See ya around, Kunsel."

"Heh. Good luck on your journey," he said with a small grin, then turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Jessie to eat her noodles and watch the sea in peace once more.

 _Tomorrow_ , she thought and took another bite of her food. _Big day ahead._

* * *

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all!_

Jessie groaned and held onto the side of the ship as another wave of nausea hit her. Earlier, when she had stepped onto the ship, everything had been fine; she had felt great, in fact.

That was before the sea had grown just a tad bit restless, making the boat sway just enough to make her stomach churn.

Never been on a boat, indeed.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to keep her breakfast down. So far she was succeeding, if only barely.

Once she was sure that she wouldn't be puking her guts out anytime soon, Jessie turned around and let herself slide to the ground. A pitiful moan escaped her as she rested the back of her head against the cool metal of the ship.

_Maybe I should just roll over and die. Yeah, that actually sounds pretty good._

She was just about to curl into a ball and do exactly that when a voice from next to her said: "You don't look well."

Startled, Jessie jumped away a few feet, only to immediately regret it as the action made her stomach churn.

"Seasick, huh?"

Jessie nodded, holding a hand to her stomach, then looked at the person talking to her. She nearly jumped again when she saw that cinnamon haired stranger sitting a few feet away while looking at her.

"It's you!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Yes, last I checked I'm still me."

"But we don't talk! We look at each other in passing, smile and that's it. It's our thing!" her stomach did another turn, making her groan yet again.

The other woman blinked. "We have a thing?"

Before Jessie could retort the other woman pulled a small flask out of her bag and held it out towards her.

"What's that?"

"Tranquilizer. It helps surprisingly well against seasickness," the other woman said and motioned for Jessie to take it. She eyed the flask for a moment, before taking and unscrewing it. Grimacing at the strong smell, she still managed to swallow its contents in one go.

The effect was almost instantaneous, and Jessie let out a sigh of relief as her stomach was beginning to calm down. She just sat there for a moment, enjoying the calming sounds of the sea, before looking at her momentary savior.

"Thanks," she said and handed her the empty bottle. "Uh..."

"Cissnei," she introduced herself.

"Cissnei," Jessie repeated. "That's a pretty exotic name."

Cissnei shrugged. "My family gave it to me. And you're Jessie, right?"

A look of surprise crossed her features. "Yeah. How do you know?"

"I heard your companion call you that a few weeks ago."

Heat rushed into her face upon hearing those words. They had been rather loud, hadn't they?

"Ah—I'm, uh, sorry if we kept you awake," she mumbled while lowering her gaze.

"You sounded like you were enjoying yourself," Cissnei said simply, like it was no issue at all. "I couldn't sleep anyway."

"Mhm." Jessie's mind went back to that early morning where she saw her looking out to the sea. Part of her wanted to ask her about it, but it felt like too personal a question, so she kept quiet and instead said: "So we're on the same boat, funny huh?"

"I suppose it is," Cissnei said with a light chuckle. It sounded nice. "And we're talking."

"Guess almost puking your guts out _is_ a good ice breaker."

She watched as the other woman rose back to her feet, before offering her a hand.

"Why don't we sit down somewhere more comfortable?" she asked and motioned towards one of the empty benches. Jessie's eyes wandered from the hand towards Cissnei's, looking into them before reaching out to take her up on her offer.

The two of them walked over to the bench closest and sat down.

"So what brings you to the western continent, if you mind me asking?" Cissnei asked.

Jessie didn't answer at first, instead choosing to look at the other passengers in the vicinity. She couldn't help but smile when she spotted a group of kids playing in the distance.

"A new beginning, in a way," Jessie eventually said. "Nothing really left back home."

"Midgar?"

"Mhm."

"Same here." That made her turn to look at her new acquaintance. "I was out of town on business at the time, so I didn't get caught up in it. But still—"

"—things changed," Jessie finished. She understood all too well. "Sorry to hear that."

"All I can do now is to move forward. Like this ship."

"Hmm, only neither of us is equipped with a brand-new 9th generation Shinra Inc. ship motor," Jessie said jokingly.

The corners of Cissnei's lips rose into that smile she had gotten used to seeing these past couple of years. "You're pretty knowledgeable."

"I just like all things tech. Always have," she stated and crossed her arms with a little smug smile. "Fixed my first radio when I was 11."

"That's impressive. And definitely a skill that's useful to have," Cissnei said.

"I'm my father's daughter. So if you got something to repair, then you know who to ask. I'll give ya a fair price."

Cissnei gave her a small grin. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"So, uh, how long is this trip actually gonna take?" Jessie asked.

"We should arrive at Costa del Sol around early evening," Cissnei replied.

"Early evening!?" They had left a few hours ago while it was still morning. "The ship should be faster."

"Well it's to save fuel, I'm told."

"Of course it is." Jessie groaned. How was she supposed to spend her time?

She should have bought herself something to read while she was still in Junon.

"We could talk more if you want," Cissnei offered with a friendly smile. "I also have a full set of Triple Triad cards."

"Hmm...Triple Triad doesn't sound too bad..." Jessie faced her again with a grin splitting her face. "Sure, I'm game."

So that was what they did, talking and playing cards. And when that became a bit boring, they wandered the ship to look out at the sea.

To her surprise, time passed way faster than she anticipated.

By the time they arrived at Costa del Sol, the blue of the sky was turning a romantic gold.

The ship shook as it came into port, making Jessie grab onto the side of the ship. Next to her, Cissnei didn't seem to be bothered at all and simply stood, a picture of perfect balance.

Once the ship came to a full stop, they left with the rest of the passengers and walked across the port into the coastal town it belonged to.

"So what are you going to do next?" Cissnei asked.

"Probably find a place to sleep first. And you?"

"My family owns a house in town," she explained. "Haven't been there in a while."

The pair stopped once they arrived at the huge plaza in the center of town and the other woman turned to look at Jessie.

"I have to head this way. It was...nice to finally talk to you, Jessie," Cissnei said with a smile that Jessie found herself unable to not return.

"Yeah. Same here. See you around?"

"I'd like that."

Jessie watched her new acquaintance as she slowly disappeared into the crowd, before shouldering her backpack and looking around.

 _Well, here you are, girl_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally arrived in Costa del Sol. And look here, someone else has joined the cast too. A round of applause for Cissnei everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Costa del Sol was every bit the vacation spot that she heard it was. Sandy beaches, relaxing atmosphere, and even the townsfolk were laid back people that seemed to live without a care in the world even in these times of change.

She was rather surprised to see the coastal town up and running as it was, but she soon figured out the people had gone back to their old fashioned power source: coal, which was provided by the neighbouring mining town of Corel.

Not everything was sunshine and roses, though. Tourism had essentially slowed to a crawl. After all, who wanted to take a vacation when the world had been turned upside down in the course of a single day?

But all in all, the town was doing alright. Better than Junon she suspected.

Right now, Jessie was asking around for a place to stay, but no luck so far. Her eyes turned towards the sky, where gold had given way to a deep red that in turn would usher in the coming night.

_Great,_ Jessie thought. With how things were going she might have to camp on the beach. _At least the weather's nice._

Her shoes scraped against the stone road as she turned to the right into a side street. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted a small gathering of people standing up ahead. The strumming sound of a guitar echoed down the street towards her, piquing her curiosity.

Jessie walked towards the group of people that stood around a man sitting on a simple folding chair that had seen better days. He wore a pair of large sunglasses, and a simple wide-brimmed hat rested on top of his head. His dark-skinned fingers moved over the strings, while his baritone voice sang a song that she wasn't familiar with, but that captured her still.

Once the song came to an end, she found herself joining in as everyone around her clapped. The man took off his hat and bowed a little, when some of the people placed a few gil into the guitar case resting at his feet before they moved on.

She pulled out some coins as well, kneeling down to place them amongst their distant cousins.

"Thank you kindly for your generosity," he said.

"It's just a few gil," Jessie replied with a little wave of her hand.

"A few gil they may be, but for a traveler every little bit is precious, and you decided to share some with a poor sinner like me."

"Who says I'm a traveler?"

"Your well-worn shoes and backpack aside?" He looked at her through his thick shades and grinned. "I can see it in your eyes, the look of someone far away from home."

Jessie crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm impressed."

"You get to be my age you encounter all sorts of folks in life. Some have their life figured out, some are a little lost. And some were actually exactly where they were needed to be." He played around with the tuners of his obviously old guitar. "Ah, but I don't want to bore you. Tell you what, a generous lady like you gets to pick the next song!"

"Sure." Jessie smiled, then pursed her lips in thought. "How about...Somewhere over the Lifestream? Know that one?"

He laughed and ran a hand over the gray scruff on the side of his face, then tapped a finger against his temple.

"Ain't no song in existence that isn't in this head of mine. Good choice." He played a small chord to test out the sound while Jessie sat down on the ground, before starting the song.

Almost involuntarily, her eyes closed as she listened to the relaxing song, the clear sound of the guitar strings mixed together with the soothing sound of his voice carrying her away into a place where only she and the music existed; drifting in the calm waters of the sea of harmony.

A sudden rush of warmth overcame her and she felt herself smile as Jessie herself sank into it, like a child being pulled into a mother's embrace.

But this feeling of absolute peace was not to last, just like this song, ending with one final pull of a guitar string.

Opening her eyes again, Jessie immediately clapped into her hands.

The musician took off his hat once more to do a little bow.

Rising back to her feet, Jessie's hand went to her pocket to take out some more gil, only to be stopped by him.

"You've been kind enough already today, and I'm sure you'll need that money more than I do."

"But—"

"No buts. You're looking for a place to stay, are you not?"

Jessie was about to ask him how he knew, but at this point she shouldn't even be surprised, so she only nodded.

"Let me repay kindness with kindness then," he said and leaned forward to point down the street. "Head down that street, then turn to the right. At the end you'll find the place of a woman everyone only calls Ms. Chaca that offers lodgings. Not the friendliest woman, but fair. You'll find a place to stay with her."

"I—I don't know what to say."

He laughed and shrugged, leaning back in his chair and playing a few random chords. "Then don't say anything. We're all just fish swimming in the stream that is life."

"...That was pretty poetic."

"I'd hope so. I'm a musician after all. Hell, in these strange times even teal eyed strangers may pray to the lady of the sea."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Hell if I know. I only play music."

Jessie let out a little snort to keep herself from laughing. What a weird guy, but still, he had named her a potential place where she could crash, so what if he had some quirks?

She picked up her backpack and shouldered it, giving the strange man a smile. "Thank you," she said.

"Hmm. Tell Ms. Chaca I said hi." He started to play another melody on his guitar. His music followed her until she turned around the corner.

She passed multiple homes on her way, with the sounds of people getting ready for dinner echoing from the inside, almost like they were taunting Jessie.

Just like the man had said, she found a house situated at the end of the street. It was two stories and light shined invitingly from the inside.

_Well, here goes nothing..._ Jessie let out a sigh and knocked on the door. It took a moment, but the door opened and a woman stepped outside. She was small, and very clearly overweight for her size, but she also had a look in her eyes that told everyone not to fuck with her lest they wanted to face her wrath. She crossed her arms in front of her and gave Jessie a pointed look.

Ms. Chaca.

"Yes?" she asked and Jessie couldn't help but feel nervous all of a sudden.

"I—I've been told you offer lodgings?"

"That I do."

"If you don't mind, I—I would like to rent a room," Jessie said. "If it's possible, that is."

Ms. Chaca narrowed her eyes, giving her round face an even sterner appearance if that was at all possible, and looked her over. She then pointed over her shoulder. "Come in."

After stepping inside, Jessie closed the door behind her and watched the other woman fetch a key before signaling her to follow. She was led down a hallway and up a set of stairs, stopping in front of a door that Ms. Chaca unlocked.

"This is it," she said and stepped inside. "If you don't like it, then you know where the door is."

Jessie stepped into the room and looked around. It wasn't exactly large, but it had a bed with clean sheets, a desk, a wardrobe, and even a balcony, albeit a small one. A homely feeling surrounded the entire room that just seemed to invite her in.

"I'll take it," Jessie said.

Ms. Chaca nodded, then pointed at her harshly.

"No funny business in this house, understand?" When Jessie nodded she held out the key towards her. "The rent's 300 gil per week. Payment at the end of each week and I'm expecting it on time!"

"Yes, ma'am," Jessie replied and took the offered keys. Walking over to the bed, she placed her backpack on the ground and sat down with a sigh. She was honestly just about ready to lie down and welcome the sweet embrace of sleep.

"Have you eaten anything yet? You look like you're starving."

At the mention of food, Jessie's stomach let out an audible growl that made her flush in embarrassment.

The older woman hmph'ed and turned around.

"Bathroom's right across the hall. Wash up and meet me downstairs. No one goes hungry under this roof!" she said, her voice leaving not even the smallest room for any argument on the matter.

Jessie watched her leave with a dumbfounded expression on her face, before letting out an exasperated huff followed by a grin. _Quite a character, isn't she?_

The bathroom was a modest one, providing a sink, mirror, toilet and shower. More than enough for her. Jessie washed her hands and face and gave herself a look in the mirror, before heading downstairs again. It wasn't really hard to find Ms. Chaca, she just had to follow the sounds of someone busying herself in a kitchen after all.

"Sit," Ms. Chaca said as soon as she had entered.

Jessie did as she was told, sitting down at the only table in the kitchen. The older woman placed a bowl and a spoon in front of her, before sitting down at the opposite end and motioning for Jessie to dig in.

It was just a simple stew, but nevertheless it made Jessie's mouth water like nothing else and as soon as the first drop touched her tongue a taste that she could only describe as "home" exploded in her mouth.

"...Delicious," was all Jessie could say after she swallowed.

"Well, eat up. Can't have you collapse out of hunger."

"Thank you. You didn't have to do this, you know?"

Ms. Chaca let out another 'hmph'.

Not another word was spoken between them while Jessie ate, and soon enough the bowl was empty and her belly full. The other woman rose back to her feet and gathered the bowl and spoon.

Her body language told Jessie that it was now time for her to take her leave, so she got back to her feet again and walked over to the door.

"Oh!" She halted in her tracks. "I'm supposed to say 'hi' from the street musician. He pointed me in your direction."

Ms. Chaca let out a very unladylike snort. "Of course he did. What's your name?"

"Jessie."

"Hmm. Have a good night, Jessie."

"Thanks. Good night to you, too." With that, Jessie left and headed back into what was now her room. For how long, she couldn't say. But it didn't matter right now, as the sounds of the distant waves soon lulled her to sleep while she laid on top of the bed.

...

...

...

Jessie jolted awake. Opening her eyes, she could tell that it was the middle of the night now as the entire room was cast into darkness, with only the moon, shining in through the open balcony door, providing a little bit of light. From beyond it she could hear a faint sound, almost like a melody.

_Is someone having a party?_ she wondered in annoyance, grabbing her pillow and placing it on her head in an attempt to drown the sound out, but to no avail.

Rubbing a hand across her eyes, she got out of bed and padded over to the balcony, intent on closing the door. Her hand had just touched the handle when she could hear it.

Singing; unlike any kind she had ever heard before.

She listened for a few seconds, before a sudden shiver overcame her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Jessie all but slammed the balcony door shut and drew the curtain closed, shrouding the entire room in complete darkness, as well as silence.

_What was that?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First day in Costa del Sol and she's already meeting some colorful people. And perhaps something more?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The sun stood high in the sky above, its warming rays shining down upon the coastal town while the sounds of waves crashing against the chores echoed from the beach below, creating an atmosphere that just made you want to lie down and take a little nap.

Jessie, too, wanted to do nothing more than curl up somewhere and let herself drift off for a bit.

But, she had work to do.

Opening her eyes, she pushed herself away from the wall overlooking the beach, giving the inviting water one last longing look before continuing on her way.

As she walked, Jessie noticed a few workers walking around, carrying various pieces of equipment as they passed by her, heading towards the town plaza. Curious, but nothing that made her raise her eyebrows.

In the weeks she had been here now, she had quickly learned that the people of Costa del Sol had their own way of doing things and that it was much easier to simply go with the flow.

It certainly was a lot more relaxing than it was in Midgar, where even in the slums there was a certain hectic to everything.

She liked it.

Like in Junon and Kalm, Jessie largely busied herself with fixing things and had found work at a repair and assembly shop specializing in boats. Jessie being Jessie though had quickly built herself a small reputation amongst her co-workers of being a reliable repairwoman that could fix almost anything.

Without much hurry, Jessie made her way to the harbor where her place of work was located. As she approached the workshop, she could already hear the radio music coming from the inside.

"Mornin', Boss!" she called out to a man in his late thirties, sitting outside the workshop and reading today's newspaper.

"Hm." was Boss' only response, tapping his feet to the rhythm of the lazy song while turning the page of his newspaper with suntanned fingers. She didn't know his name; in fact none of her co-workers did. Everyone just called him 'Boss'.

Jessie barely took a step inside when she noticed that the workshop was completely empty.

"Where are the others?" she asked after stepping back out.

"Took the day off," Boss said with a shrug.

"Wha—?" She placed a hand on her hip. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Did she mention people in Costa del Sol had a tendency to be incredibly lazy too?

"Great," she sighed. "So what's the work for today?"

"Just the outboard motor from that fisherman we got yesterday. I wouldn't have let the boys take the day off if we were swarmed." He lowered his newspaper to look at her. "You know, you can take the day off to, ya know? I can deal with this on my own."

Jessie let out a huff and shook her head. "I came in, so I might as well take a look."

"Suit yourself," he said and went back to reading.

Inside, she made a beeline for the motor. Fortunately for her, Boss had actually already taken off the casing, so she could get to work right away.

From what she had heard yesterday it had given up the ghost while the owner was trying to get back to shore, forcing him to paddle the rest of the way back.

A frown formed on her features as she inspected it for damage, but couldn't find any immediate signs. So she had to take the motor apart. It was when Jessie took a closer look at the water pump that she found the root of the problem: a broken impeller.

That meant the motor must have overheated. Not a good sign with old models like these. Newer ones usually had a warning horn build to tell you when the engine was getting too hot, something this one was missing.

And if the motor already shut down due to heat issues the entire thing might already be too damaged. She would have to replace the impeller and test it before she could be sure.

"Crap..." She could only hope they had one in reserve.

Grabbing a rag, she wiped her hands clean and returned to Boss.

"Bad news," she said.

"What is it?" he asked, his eyes looking out to the sea.

"Motor might be shot. I'd need to test it, but for that I'd need to replace the impeller."

That made Boss actually look at her with furrowed brows. "Hard to come by those little parts these days."

"So I'm guessing that's a 'no' to my question if we have one?"

A frown graced his round features. "I'd have to ask around on my next trip out of town."

"Shit," Jessie said and crossed her arms. "Guess it might be better to just tell the old man he needs a new motor. Might be cheaper, too."

"I'll take care of that," Boss said, before pointing at something in the distance. "Looks like there's some more work coming our way."

Shielding her eyes from the sun, Jessie looked into the direction he was pointing at and saw four individuals in uniforms heading their way.

"Is that...the town's guard?"

"Yup."

The town's guard consisted of local ex-Shinra troopers that, even after the company's fall, decided to protect Costa del Sol from monsters outside town. And while they weren't really part of the company anymore, they still cooperated with what was left in Junon.

As they watched the group approach, Jessie noticed that they were pulling something on a large platform cart.

"And that isn't a boat," Boss mumbled and put the magazine aside to actually stand up.

While approaching, one of the guardsmen raised his hand in greeting; like they weren't just dragging a Shinra, Inc. Sweeper across the harbor towards their workshop.

"Hey, Boss!" the one who seemed to be the leader of the bunch called out as they stopped nearby. "How ya doin'?"

"Fine," Boss replied, scratching his gut a little. "What's this supposed to be?"

"Well, uh, we thought you might take a look at it?"

"Does it look like a boat to you?"

The four troopers gave each other a look before collectively shrugging. "No?"

"Then you're at the wrong place!"

"Aww. Come on, Boss!" leader boy begged. "Do it for me, man."

Meanwhile, Jessie had started walking around the Sweeper, looking at it like a child that had just gotten a new toy.

"Don't you have your own mechanics for that?" Boss asked.

"They have no experience with this one," leader boy replied.

"And I have?"

"Well, no, but maybe she has?" Jessie turned towards both of them to see the trooper pointing at her.

"Of course I do!" Actually, she didn't. But she always wanted to take a look at one of these babies.

"Really?" Boss asked.

"Yup."

"Fine then, Jessie's gonna take a look at it. But it'll cost ya extra," he said and sat back down, already grabbing his magazine before his ass had even hit the chair again.

"Thanks, man," leader boy said then turned to Jessie.

"So what's the problem?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip as she walked around the Sweeper again.

"Doesn't activate at all. It was still functioning yesterday," one of the other troopers told her.

Leader boy pointed at him. "Yeah, what he said."

"Guess I'll just have to take a closer look then, won't I?" Jessie teasingly said and ran her fingers over the grill on the front of it. She pointed at one of the troopers and motioned for him to come closer to help her as she removed the heavy steel plate, revealing a small hatch that was big enough for a person to fit inside.

She opened the hatch to reveal the inside of the security bot and her fingers already itched at the prospect of exploring every nook and cranny of it.

Taking a small flashlight from her tool belt, she shined inside and immediately frowned at the state it was in. It looked like it had hardly been maintained at all, and the moist sea air had not been kind to it. She was surprised it didn't have cobwebs in it to boot.

But she might already have an idea what the problem was.

"Well, in we go," Jessie said and crawled partly inside, holding the flashlight in her left hand to light her way. "Let's get to work, shall we?"

But the longer she worked on it, the more apparent it became that this entire thing was a piece of crap. The wiring was all over the place, like it was haphazardly thrown together at the last minute, and rust spotted the metal. She was trying to figure out how the hell this thing even got into mass production at all when a thought came to her.

"Is this a first-generation Sweeper?" Jessie called out. She heard a bit of mumbling from outside before one of them called back in.

"Yeah."

"I thought those were out of commission for almost ten years now!"

They had been built to serve on the front lines of the war and had thus been thrown together as fast as possible, but had been notoriously inefficient and that, according to rumors, General Sephiroth himself had given Director Scarlet a piece of his mind about the quality of her engineering.

Pursing her lips, Jessie tapped her fingers against the innards of the metallic monstrosity. She had to be a little creative here, but she was sure she could get this thing up and running again.

_Here goes..._ she thought, then went to work. While she did her best to fix Shinra's shoddy work, Jessie addressed the troopers again.

"So how did this old piece of crap even make its way out here?" she asked.

Jessie could almost hear the shrug the ex-trooper that replied did. "Weapons Development was always producing new stuff, but only Junon and Midgar got all the shiny new toys, while out here we only got scraps."

"Fat lot of good it did for some in the end, huh?" one of his colleagues added.

The conversation that followed this small exchange basically revolved around who could shit on their former employers the most, providing Jessie with some amusement as she did her magic.

"I bet that Scarlet lady took an entire mile of—"

"Gotta interrupt you there for a sec, but I just pulled a miracle out of my ass," Jessie said as she reconnected the last wire.

"And what an ass it is," one of the troopers said, but Jessie couldn't hear him as he was drowned out by the sound of the Sweeper coming to life.

"There you go, sweetheart," Jessie said to it and gave its inside one last pat, before pushing herself out again.

"Holy shit. This is amazing!" leader boy exclaimed. He turned to her. "You're amazing!"

"Aww, now you're making me blush," she replied in a teasing tone, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.

"Maybe the Lt. is actually gonna allow us to go to the fiesta tonight," one of the others said to leader boy.

"You're having a party?" Jessie asked, pulling her top a little to fan herself and the ladies a little. The troopers all looked at her for a moment, not saying a word, before leader boy shook his head.

"Not just a party. The party. The entire town gets together to celebrate the day Costa del Sol was founded."

"Huh." Jessie let go of her top. "Now that sounds interesting."

She could do with a little bit of partying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than the last, but oh well. Gotta love Costa del Sol. It has such a nice, lazy air to it.
> 
> More coming soon. See ya.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

As it turned out, leader boy hadn't been kidding when he said that the entire town would get together. The entire main plaza was abuzz with people, some eating at one of the various stands, some drinking, some even dancing to the music that was playing; everyone having a good time.

Even Ms. Chaca had left home earlier to join the festivities and Jessie could spot her at one of the stands offering her, apparently, famous salsa that she still had to taste herself.

 _Now what to do first, Jessie?_ she asked herself while walking around.

She could do with something to eat. Lunch had been quite a while ago and she would be lying if she said all these food stands didn't look inviting. But the agony of choice and all that.

Just when it looked like she had decided on a stand, Jessie spotted a familiar face amongst the group of performers providing the music, still wearing his shades even as the sun had already vanished behind the Corel mountains, but unlike last time dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt.

As the song came to a close, she walked over to the stage where the performers were playing on.

"Heya, didn't think I'd see you here," she said to him after the applause died down and the performers put away their instruments for a little break.

The man turned to look at her before a wide grin split his face. "Well well, the kind traveler. Been a while. How's life treatin' you?"

"Pretty good. Got a job and a place to stay. Thanks for pointing me towards Ms. Chaca."

"Quite the character, ain't she?" he asked with a chuckle.

"That she is. But it's been nice," she said with a little smile. "Can't say I expected to see you here though."

He laughed at that. "Thought I only earned a living by performing in alleys, did you?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"I actually perform at parties and weddings too. So in case you'll ever get hitched, try to think of me, will ya?"

Now it was Jessie's turn to laugh. "Sure thing."

The musician turned his head to look at his colleagues, who were all picking up their instruments again. "Time to get to work. Tonight the town won't sleep, and the Sea Lady decreed I shall do my part as I always do."

One day she really had to ask what that stuff about the 'Sea Lady' meant, but not today. "Ain't no rest for the wicked, eh?"

"Indeed," he said with another grin and a tip of his head, before picking up his guitar. Taking that as her cue to leave, Jessie walked away to finally get some of that paella she had decided on.

Sitting down at one of the many tables, she took her first bite of the deliciously smelling dish and had to hold back a moan as the mix of rice, meat, tomatoes and a variety of other ingredients caused a veritable explosion of taste inside her mouth that left her wanting more after she had swallowed.

You would never find something like this in Midgar!

Not being able to hold herself back, she pretty much inhaled the paella and even went for seconds afterwards.

 _I should write Mama about this_ , she thought as she carried her refilled bowl back to her place. Like she had promised, she had written to her almost weekly ever since she left Kalm, to keep her and the boys posted on her whereabouts and how she was doing. _They're going to be soooo jealous!_

She raised a spoonful of the delicious food to her lips with every intention of truly savoring the taste this time instead of wolfing it down, but she barely had parted her lips when a voice made her stop.

"Jessie," a familiar, feminine voice called out to her. Turning towards the voice, Jessie saw Cissnei standing there with two bowls in her hands, one filled with salsa and another one with tortillas.

"Oh hey, Cissnei," Jessie greeted back. She watched as an amused smile formed on the other woman's lips. "Been a while, huh?"

"Aren't you going to eat that?" she asked and nodded towards the spoon that was still hovering close to her lips. With a small wave of embarrassment, Jessie inserted the spoon into her mouth.

Cissnei released a chuckle. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Jessie simply shook her head and motioned for her to sit down opposite her while slowly chewing.

As Cissnei moved to sit down, Jessie took in the sight of her. She was dressed in a deep blue, flower-patterned summer dress with a pair of matching flats on her feet that gave her an all together cute appearance.

"And yes, it has been a while," she said after taking her place. "I assume you've settled into town rather well?"

"Mhm." Jessie nodded and swallowed. "I get by rather well. How's things on your end?"

"I guess I can't complain. Like I said back when we arrived, I moved into my family's house," she said while taking one of the tortillas and putting a small amount of salsa on it. "I was spending most of my time to get it up and running again. It's seen better days for sure."

"Well if you need any help I'm sure I can make some time," Jessie offered.

"That's nice of you, but I took care of it already."

She watched as Cissnei put the chip into her mouth, the other woman's eyebrows rising in visible surprise. "Wow, this salsa's pretty good!"

"Got it from an older lady, a bit on the heavier side and has quite the personality?" Jessie asked with a grin creeping onto her features.

"Yes. I'm assuming you know her then?"

"That's my landlady. I actually wanted to try her salsa but, well." Jessie put another spoonful of paella into her mouth.

Cissnei in turn took another chip and scooped up some of the salsa, before holding it out towards Jessie. "Wanna do a trade?"

She blinked in surprise, then looked at the tortilla chip and watched as its rough texture was slowly soaking up the moisture of the salsa. Without thinking, Jessie shot forward and bit down on it, immediately closing her eyes as the flavor made her taste buds light up in delight.

"I take it you like it?" Cissnei asked and let go of the chip so that Jessie could properly eat it.

"Mmh!" Jessie nodded. She took her bowl and moved it forward a little.

Lacking a spoon of her own, Cissnei just took one of her many chips and used it to gather some of the paella, before guiding it towards her mouth.

"Oh, this is delicious too," the other woman said between bites.

"I know, right?" Jessie grinned and pulled the bowl back towards her.

The two continued to eat and talk when, all of a sudden, Cissnei rose to her feet and said: "Something's missing."

Jessie watched her leave with a look of confusion on her face. She returned a couple of minutes later, holding a bottle of wine and two glasses which she both placed on the table.

"Ah, a woman of culture I see," Jessie said teasingly as Cissnei sat down.

"I just thought it would go nicely with the food," Cissnei replied while uncorking the bottle.

"Well I won't say no either way." Jessie grabbed a glass and held it expectantly towards the other woman.

"Patience is a virtue," Cissnei teased back. After a few more moments the cork finally came loose with a plop. "Well, here you go."

The other woman poured her some of the deep red wine, then did so with her own glass.

"As the locals say: salud!" Jessie clanked her glass against Cissnei's before taking a sip. The wine had a juicy and at the same time spicy taste to it, and while she wasn't necessarily much of a wine kind of girl, she found that she liked this one.

Turning her eyes towards Cissnei, she found the cinnamon haired woman looking like she was in deep contemplation, her eyes closed while pursuing her lips a tiny bit.

It looked a bit cute from where Jessie was sitting.

After a brief moment, she opened her eyes again and nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"I'm guessing you're more of a connoisseur?" Jessie asked.

"Not really," Cissnei said with a shrug. "I actually haven't drunk much alcohol in the past, but I thought it might be time to try new things."

That was a very relatable thought.

As the two of them continued to eat and drink more wine, Jessie thought back on these past weeks. She had to admit that she had been feeling better than she did in Kalm, but she was still not at where she wanted to be for herself; she was still looking.

And looking at Cissnei, she had to wonder if she too was looking for something, or even just herself.

She turned her gaze towards the people around them, living their ordinary lives despite the world having been pretty much turned upside down in a matter of days. Having a good time with family and friends, even with strangers such as themselves.

In its own way it was kind of inspiring.

As she watched them dance, an idea sprang up inside her mind and she turned to face Cissnei again with a grin slowly creeping up her features.

"Do you dance?" she asked the other woman.

"I don't," Cissnei replied. "Why?"

"Time to try new things then!" Jessie said, jumped to her feet and held out her hand. "May I have this dance?"

Cissnei's gaze moved between her hand and face, an unsure look in her hazel eyes that were pleading with her to reconsider. But Jessie remained firm.

With a sigh of resignation, the other woman poured herself another glass of wine and emptied it in one go.

"This is a terrible idea," she said, placing her hand into Jessie's and letting herself get dragged across the plaza towards the dancing crowd.

And just in time too, as the previous song had just come to an end and the performers were getting ready to start the next one.

"Just follow my steps," Jessie said and placed one of her hands on the other woman's hip.

"Fine," Cissnei replied with another sigh and did as Jessie told her.

As the song started to play and Jessie guided her through the first steps, it became quickly apparent that neither really knew what they were doing. Music like this had never been her forte, and the dancing she had done back in Midgar had always been more of an intimate sort. But even if they made themselves look like idiots right now, no one seemed to pay them any mind as everyone was too busy having fun. It wasn't long after that both dropped any pretense of being serious and they started to laugh.

By the end of the song it took everything in their power to not double over in laughter, so they instead leaned on one another for support.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Cissnei asked amidst laughter.

"No. I'm fun!" Jessie replied. The two left the dancing crowd, but instead of heading back to their table, they went into the direction of the beach to sit down on the stairs leading there.

"You can be fun and crazy, you know?"

"Guilty as charged then. But you still enjoyed it, didn't you?"

"I suppose so," Cissnei said, then looked towards the sea. They didn't talk for a while, simply looking out to the waves below while listening to the hustle and bustle behind them.

"I never really managed to appreciate it," she said after a while.

"What do you mean?"

"Sights like these," she explained and pointed at the moon reflecting on the water's surface. "I guess I never took the time to just look."

"Yeah. I get what you mean," Jessie said. Taking the time to just appreciate things was something she had only learned recently as well. A smile formed on her lips and she turned to look at Cissnei. "Say, do you have any plans tomorrow?"

Cissnei turned her gaze away from the sea and towards Jessie. "No, I don't," she replied with a little tilt of her head.

"Wanna hang out then?"

"Hmm. I dunno." Cissnei tapped a finger against her chin as she thought about it with clear amusement in her eyes. "You're pretty crazy."

Jessie grinned. "But also fun!"

"True..." Cissnei chuckled. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Great!"

This was going to be fun. She could already tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to you, writing this chapter made me way too hungry. Anyway, looks like Jessie made a new friend!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

A content sigh escaped Jessie as the summer heat caressed her body like the hands of a very attentive lover on a romantic evening, and she felt herself doze off a little as the nearby waves sung their afternoon lullaby.

This, truly, was the life.

"—sie?"

"Mmh." _Not now._

"Hey, Jessie!"

"Mmh." She was busy giving herself into that sweet half dream of a muscle bound Adonis and a voluptuous beach goddess taking care of her every need; like she was the most important thing in the world.

_Yes, a little bit more to the left, sweetheart..._

She was startled out of this magnificent daydream when something cold was dropped right into her lap.

"Holy shit!" Jessie exclaimed as she nearly jumped out of the beach chair she was lying on. She immediately made a grab for the ice cold attacker which turned out to be a soda can. The condensed water on it glistened in the sunlight.

A little laugh made her turn to glare at its owner, who was taking her place on the beach chair next to hers.

"The drink you asked for," Cissnei said with a grin that was half amused and half smug.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Jessie grumbled and opened the can with a loud _pssssh_. She took a large sip of the refreshing drink, the cool peach taste causing a small chill to go through her body. "Aaah, that hit the spot."

"You're welcome," Cissnei said as she opened her own can. As she raised the can to her lips, the other woman leaned her head back a little, giving Jessie a nice view of her neck while she drank.

Not being able to help herself, Jessie let her eyes wander. Cissnei was wearing a rather sporty, but still cute, yellow two piece that consisted of a pair of tight shorts with the numbers _07_ on it and a small top that hugged itself to her body and gave her petite breasts a nice outline that made the gears inside Jessie's mind turn just a little bit.

In the week they have been hanging out now Jessie has been quick to notice that Cissnei was attractive. Very much so. Her cinnamon colored hair, those hazel eyes, that very nice ass; she could probably go on the entire day here.

She would be lying if she said she didn't feel attracted to her new friend.

But that was just how she was. A pretty face and nice body did that to her.

Tearing her gaze away, Jessie turned to look at all the other people on the beach; good looks all around. Guys in shorts, showing off their toned chests and girls that walked around in a variety of swimsuits that left either a lot or not a lot to the imagination.

Jessie herself was wearing something leaning towards the latter, a deep red bikini whose bottom showed off her, in her opinion, amazing ass and teased everyone looking at her by being bound by two little ties on each side.

All the while the top gave more than enough breathing room for her girls.

Putting her drink on a small table next to her, Jessie laid back down into the shade of their shared parasol and crossed her legs.

Yes, she could definitely get used to this.

"So, are you planning on lazing around all day?" Cissnei asked, prompting Jessie to look at her.

"Isn't that the Costa del Sol way?" Jessie shot back with a grin.

The other woman chuckled. "I suppose so. But I didn't come here to just lie around, you know?"

"Well, if you have any ideas, I'm all ears."

Cissnei thought for a moment, before getting up from her chair.

"Let's go for a swim," she said, then knelt down next to Jessie and gently slapped the other woman's stomach. "Might actually make you burn all that food you ate earlier."

She rose back to her feet and turned around, walking towards the water without giving her a second glance. Jessie watched her, then turned her gaze towards her stomach and placed her hand on top of it. With a frown, she got out of her chair as well and ran after Cissnei. "Hey, wait!"

The only answer she received was a brilliant laugh.

Jessie was an alright swimmer with decent experience despite opportunities to swim in Midgar being far and between. But being in a pool sure as hell didn't compare with the actual sea, that was for sure.

She dipped her toes into the clear waters, finding it almost hot. Intrigued, Jessie waded further in. The waves splashed gently into her abdomen, then her breasts as the water grew deeper and cooler. Taking in a breath of fresh sea air, she softly kicked off from the sandy bottom, then paddled her arms, her body moving up and down with the waves.

After a while of swimming around, the two of them went and grabbed a pair of surfboards to ride the waves. Jessie, being the amateur that she was, made a big old fool of herself and fell off the board more than once. Unlike Cissnei, who came off like she was a professional, never once losing her balance, showing complete mastery over her own body.

But, despite looking like a dumbass, it was damn fun.

By the time they left the water again, Jessie could feel that pleasant ache in her body, like after a good workout that left her wanting more. She was wringing some of the excess water out of her hair and was about to make a beeline for their chairs, when from out of the corner of her eye she noticed something out at the sea. A tiny island not far from the coast.

"Hm?" Cissnei stopped as well. "What's the matter?"

"There's an island," Jessie said and pointed towards it.

The other woman turned to look. "Oh yeah. I think you could see it from the ship."

"There's a sandbar leading there." Jessie turned her head and gave Cissnei a grin. "Come on, let's explore. Maybe we'll find some hidden treasure!"

Cissnei let out an amused huff. "I frankly doubt that. Any treasure would have been found by the locals long ago."

"Spoil sport." Jessie stuck her tongue out. "So, are you coming or not?"

Cissnei gave her a little shrug. "Sure."

The two of them went to grab their things, then headed down the beach and past some rocks to get to the part of the coastline that was connected to the sandbar.

"So, who is taking the first step?" Jessie asked as they stopped in front of it.

"It was your idea," Cissnei replied, then pursed her lips in thought. "I think I heard some locals talking about that island. Called it Isla del la Sirena."

"Ooooh, how ominous," Jessie said teasingly as she stepped onto the sandbar. She playfully wiggled her toes in the waterlogged sand before turning to her friend. "Well, it doesn't seem to be cursed."

Cissnei shook her head with a sigh and stepped onto it as well. "Never said it was."

While they walked towards the island, Jessie couldn't help but be amazed at the sight. Around them was nothing but the wide open sea and the water that was normally such a deep blue turned into a pretty green the closer it was to the sand.

The island itself was rather small, with not much on it but a small, lush forest that gave it a peaceful feeling. A few birds hung about the trees, lending a splash of blue, red, and purple while occasionally tweeting a gentle note. Perfect for a little get away to get some extra peace and quiet.

They looked around some more until they found a small clearing with a rock in the middle and something that seemed to be built inside it.

"That's...different," Jessie said and she knelt down in front of the weird looking construct. It was made of shells of various colors and even had the odd pearl here and there. But from the way it looked it had seen better days.

"Looks like an old shrine," Cissnei said.

"You think?"

"Well, a long time ago the various regions all had their own little religions. This must be from that time." Cissnei knelt down next to her to take a closer look. "That's actually pretty amazing. A small piece of history hidden away on an island."

"See? Told you we would find something interesting." Jessie nudged her playfully.

"You also thought we might find treasure."

"Ah, but isn't knowledge the true treasure?" she asked and raised her finger sagely.

Cissnei scoffed at that. "Yeah, right."

They looked around a little bit more, before deciding to head back as it was starting to get late. Jessie was listening to her friend going on and on about how some old religions were practiced, when all of a sudden she fell completely silent.

"Hey, what's wrong? Cat got your—" but Cissnei was nowhere to be found.

"Cissnei?" she called out, but only absolute silence was her answer. _Wait shouldn't there be—_

From one moment to the other, everything around her became dark as the waning day turned into night from one blink of the eye to the other.

_What the hell?_ She wildly looked around before her eyes landed on the full moon where just a few seconds ago the sun had been on its slow evening descent.

A murmur from the shore made her whirl around. Her eyes widened in surprise at the gathering of people there. She was about to call out to them, but stopped herself when she saw that something was off about them. The group, about twenty of them, were all wearing weird masks, and their clothes were nothing like Jessie had ever seen before in her entire life.

They talked to one another in an odd language that she couldn't understand.

Then, all of a sudden, they all fell down to their knees and started to sing in union.

No... Not singing; praying.

Jessie started to back away despite the distance between them. The darkness around her gave way to an eerie green glow, and as she tried to find where it was coming from, she saw that it was coming from the water around the sandbar. Emerald waves rolled onto the powdery, white sand, like something was agitating it.

Dread overcame her when she spotted movement below the surface. She turned around to run back towards the island, but found herself cut off from it. Shadowy tentacles slithered around like snakes on a hunt, coming closer and closer as the water started to encroach on the tiny spot of sand.

Spinning around in a desperate attempt at escape, she spotted something large just beneath the surface of the sea. Dark and round, there were two of them on either side of Jessie's dwindling refuge. Bubbles foamed between them, floating on the waves.

Pain shot through her head, and Jessie grabbed it with both hands as flashes of white noises blinded her. Between them, she found herself looking up at the moon, but where it once was, was now a giant amber eye, staring at her. As she gazed back, she noticed it was made of thousands of other eyes.

A hand placed itself on her shoulder and the vision vanished, being replaced by Cissnei looking at her with concerned eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You spaced out there for a second."

"Spaced out?" So it wasn't real?

The other woman placed a hand on her forehead. "Maybe you got a heatstroke. We've been in the sun for a while."

_Yeah...maybe that's what it was._

"Come. I'll take you to my place. It's a little closer and you can lie down for a bit."

Jessie only nodded, a sudden fatigue overcoming her. Fingers gently grasped her hand before leading her back to the shore. They returned to the main part of the beach, then headed up the stone stairs and from there to the east part of town.

After a while, the two of them stopped in front of a rather large house that resided a little bit apart from the rest of the area. It was surrounded by a stone wall, and an iron gate separated the garden from the outside.

It was pretty damn huge in Jessie's opinion. Cissnei had told her that her family owned a house in town, but she didn't expect them to be this loaded.

But while on any other day she would have started to pester her with questions, she found herself too tired right now.

Once inside, Cissnei led her to the living room that was about as impressive as she expected it to be and laid her down on the large, comfy sofa.

"I'll be back shortly," her friend said and left the room. Jessie meanwhile closed her eyes, trying to think about what she had seen, but the more she did, the blurrier the details seemed to become as her mind fogged over in a demand for rest so she gave up on it.

Cissnei soon returned, but Jessie remained like she was, only opening her eyes when something cold was placed on her forehead. She looked at the other woman who sat down on the edge of the sofa with a small smile.

"Feeling better?"

"A bit," she replied. The ice pack soothed the faint ache in her head.

"If you want to sleep, go ahead. I don't mind."

"Alright." Jessie nodded and closed her eyes again. With the ice cooling her and the sound of the curtains rustled in the winds, she let herself fall into a dreamless sleep where nothing would bother her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was almost four weeks later and Jessie was currently looking at the motor parts strewn over the table in front of her, when one of her colleagues approached her.

"Yo, Jessie!" he called out.

"What is it?" she asked, not looking up from her work. _Now which of you is faulty?_

"Someone's asking for you."

 _That_ made Jessie look at him. "Really? Who?"

"Didn't say. Some girl. Redhead, and lookin' very fine."

That could only be Cissnei. _Strange, I don't think I've ever mentioned where I work._

"Thanks," she said and walked past him towards the entrance.

"Say, mind introducing her to me?" he asked, prompting her to turn around and give him a grin.

"Not a chance!"

As she walked to the front, Jessie could already see the other woman standing outside waiting for her. Her other co-workers were whispering amongst each other, making her roll her eyes at how obvious they were, but decided to ignore it as she approached her friend.

"Hey, you," Jessie called out to her with a smile that Cissnei returned.

"Hi."

"Heard you were asking for me. What's the occasion?"

"Do you have time?" Cissnei asked.

"What? Like right now?"

Her friend nodded. "Uh huh."

Jessie pursed her lips, then checked the time. It was already way past noon, and she was kind hungry... "I suppose I could take my break now."

She turned towards Boss, who was currently sleeping in his favorite chair, his snoring even drowning out the sounds from inside the workshop.

"Hey, Boss. Boss!"

He let out a snort that told her he had woken up, if barely so. "Mmh?"

"Can I take my break?" Jessie asked.

Boss smacked his lips, his eyes remaining closed, and nodded. "Sure sure...take the day off."

Jessie was about to correct him, but thought better of it. "Thanks!"

"Mmh. No problem..." he murmured drowsily, before falling back asleep. Jessie looked at Cissnei and shrugged.

"You heard the man. Let me just get cleaned up."

After washing herself, the two of them left the workshop and headed towards town.

"I have to admit this came as a surprise," Jessie told her friend.

"I thought a little bit of spontaneity couldn't hurt." Cissnei grinned a little. "And look at that, you got a day off out of it."

"I can't really disagree with that," Jessie replied with a giggle. A frown then formed on her face as she looked up at the sky. It was overcast and looked like it would rain later. "Too bad we can't hit the beach."

"I'm sure there's other stuff we can do. But first, let's get something to eat. There's a nice little bistro not far from here," Cissnei told her.

"Sure, I'm game."

By the time they arrived the sky was growing even darker, so they headed inside and ordered a pizza to share between them.

They sat down at a table close to the front window, and Jessie looked outside. It had a nice view on the beach. Involuntarily, her eyes wandered into the direction of the island from weeks ago.

"What are you thinking about?" Cissnei asked.

"Remember the island?"

"Of course. What about it?"

The hallucination from that day hadn't left her alone in all those weeks. She knew it couldn't have been anything more than just her mind, but it felt so real! "What do you think the people used to pray back then?"

"Hmm." Cissnei took a sip from her drink. "Probably ritual sacrifices. I wager they prayed to some sea god, so they sacrificed part of what they caught as tribute."

"Tribute, huh?" she tapped a finger on the table. "I guess back then things were far more simpler."

Living your day in, day out with a simple routine and occasionally paying tribute to a deity. Their planet was weird enough that you could apparently summon some of these mythical beings with a special kind of materia; so perhaps it was not too far-fetched to pray to them.

"Maybe. But probably way less fun than the present."

That brought a smile to Jessie's lips, and her gaze moved away from where the island was located, choosing to instead focus on the first few droplets of rain hitting the window. "Yeah, you're right."

Once their food arrived, the two of them ate while watching the rain and the occasional passerby as they ran towards shelter from the bad weather.

"You know," Jessie said after swallowing. "I didn't think it actually rained here."

"Oh it does. Especially around this time of year when Fall is just around the corner," Cissnei replied.

"Oh yeah, you probably spent more time here in the past."

"A few times, yeah. But never as long as I have now."

Jessie turned to look at her friend. Despite getting along great, she didn't really _know_ much about Cissnei. All she knew about her was that her family owned a house here. And what a house it was. She hadn't been really in the condition to ask at the time, but it was obvious her friend was well off.

"Stayed in that family home of yours?" she asked.

"Yup. Though last time I was here I was only passing through."

"Oh, how come?" Jessie asked.

"Work related. I managed to get a day of R&R before heading back."

"That's right, I never asked you what you did in the past. Kinda figured your family was loaded enough for you to not work at all."

A melancholic look crossed Cissnei's features, making Jessie feel like she did something wrong. "They certainly left me enough that I don't need to work anymore."

"I—" Jessie swallowed. She should have seen that coming, shouldn't she? "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You didn't know." Cissnei shook her head.

"Midgar?" Jessie asked.

"Yes."

"We all lost something that day, huh?"

"Mhm."

Silence set over them, and Jessie couldn't help but feel like an ass for dragging up unpleasant memories. She was about to apologize again when Cissnei cut her off.

"Talent scout," she said while taking another evenly cut piece of the pizza.

Jessie blinked. "Come again?"

"I was a talent scout," she repeated with a small smile.

"What, like in models and actors?" Jessie asked, leaning back in her seat.

"Yeah, kinda."

"Huh..." now that she looked at Cissnei, she could actually picture it. She seemed to be the type of person that had an eye for skill. "You know, I actually fancied the idea of being an actress or maybe a model before it all."

She watched Cissnei's lips curl into a grin. "Really?"

"Yup!" she placed a hand behind her head and one on her hip to strike a little pose while sitting. "Think I got what it takes?"

The other woman looked at her for a moment, before letting out a little snort that turned into laughter.

"Hey!" Jessie frowned. "I'm being serious here!"

"Sorry!" Cissnei replied, managing to calm her laughter down into a snicker. "It was just a bit sudden. But yeah, you'd probably make a good actress. You have a captivating personality, and are clearly very attractive."

Jessie could feel the heat rushing into her face upon hearing that compliment. Sure, she had been told she was hot in the past, but it somehow felt more...sincere coming from her friend.

"W-well, you haven't seen nothing yet!" Trying to regain her composure, she dropped her pose and closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she did so. Then all of a sudden, she held her hand to her chest. "Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest."

"Impressive!" Cissnei with a little clap of her hands. "That was from Loveless, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Jessie nodded and took a small sip from her glass. "Act 1. I once memorized it for a school play."

"Truly a lead actress was lost with you. Thankfully, you're also quite the talented mechanic."

"What can I say?" Jessie rested her face on her palm, her voice going a little deeper. "I like getting down and dirty."

She followed those words with a small wink that made her friend giggle.

"That so?" Cissnei asked and leaned back a little.

"Mhm."

"You know, my radio has been giving me trouble lately, perhaps you could check it out?"

"Are you sure you can afford me?"

"I'm sure I can manage," Cissnei replied with a wink of her own.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they ate the rest of their meal, then stayed a little longer until the rain died down enough so they wouldn't be completely drenched while walking around.

Using today's newspaper as an impromptu umbrella, Jessie was just telling Cissnei about what she was working on right now, when the other woman halted in her tracks.

"Hm?" Jessie stopped as well, turning to look at her friend, whose eyes were fixed on a sign on the building next to them. She walked over to take a look as well.

"Manuel's...tattoo parlor?" she read aloud.

"Want to get one?" Cissnei asked.

Jessie turned to look at her. "Seriously?"

Cissnei returned the look and gave a little shrug. "Try out new things, right?"

Biting her lip, she mulled the idea over. She never really had thought about getting a tattoo before. It was kind of a permanent thing to do after all.

 _Ah, what the hell._ Jessie thought and looked at Cissnei again. "Sure, why not?"

Manuel was, like one would expect, almost a walking canvas covered in all sorts of interesting designs. But as interesting as he looked, he was very professional.

"So what is it you ladies want?" he asked. "I have a few designs I can show you, or you can even have your own if you want."

"Wings," Cissnei said without giving it much thought. "One on each shoulder."

"Alright," he said and picked up a drawing pad. "Got a specific idea for them?"

Jessie watched as Cissnei described him in great detail how she wanted them to look and was surprised with how well the man managed to put it on paper, too.

"Yeah, like that," Cissnei said after he was finished drawing.

"Any special color?" he asked

"Sky blue."

"You definitely know what ya want." He nodded and motioned for her to sit down. While Cissnei did so, he tore out the reference page and put it within eyesight, then put on a pair of gloves and put a new needle into the gun. "Might hurt a little."

"That's alright," Cissnei replied casually.

As she watched her friend getting inked, Jessie thought about what she wanted to get, but couldn't really decide. After a while she grabbed the drawing pad and pen, tapping the eraser attached to the back against the empty page and closing her eyes. The buzzing of the needle tickled the back of her mind, making her forget time and place.

She felt as if she were floating in the water, the buzz becoming a deep drone, like a hundred people humming together. After so long, the hole inside her had been plugged. It was warm, vibrating, and full of life waiting to burst from her heart.

Then it faded, and the hum became a buzz.

"Alright, you're all done!"

Jessie blinked her eyes open and turned towards the tattoo chair. Cissnei just received her second wing, the skin around the area a glaring red that looked very painful, but if the other woman was bothered she didn't show it.

"You know how to handle materia?" Manuel asked Cissnei as she rose from the chair.

"Yes," she replied, and he handed her one of the jade colored orbs that made it possible to use magic. Holding it, her lips curled into a small smile. "Cure materia...clever."

"Like anyone around here wants to spend weeks without jumping into the sea." He turned to look towards Jessie. "Decided on something?"

"I—" Her eyes landed on the drawing pad in her lap and she did a little double take at what she found. It had three rounded sides, like a smoothened stone, and around it was a swirl of clouds as the 'eye' inside it stared ahead. _How in the-?_

"Hmm, that's an interesting design," he said after taking a look. "So I'm guessing the clouds should be grey. What about that eye?"

"Amber," Jessie replied without thinking.

"Okay. Take a seat."

She walked past Cissnei, who was using the materia to heal the skin of her shoulders, and sat down on the chair.

"Where do you want it?" he asked after ripping out the page.

She hesitated for a moment, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had drawn this design with her eyes closed, while in a trance. "I—uh, how about my right hip?"

"Sure." He moved to replace the needle with a fresh one.

She rolled up her top a little and pulled down her shorts to give him better access. On any other given day she might have even found it kind of exciting, but that would usually not involve a needle digging into her skin to inject it with ink.

But, thankfully enough, she was provided with a little bit of anaesthetic to numb the pain somewhat. Still, it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences, and it felt like an eternity passed before they were done.

Once she was out of the chair, she immediately made a grab for that cure materia and let out a little coo as it's magical warmth soothed her irritated skin.

After making sure that everything was healed alright and paying Manuel, the two left the parlor. Much to Jessie's pleasant surprise, it had stopped raining and the sun was slowly peeking its way through the clouds.

"It looks good, I have to say," Cissnei commented while walking.

"Yeah, it does..." Jessie lowered her top over it. Looking at it made her feel a little weird, but she had to say she liked it. Looking at Cissnei she asked: "So, why wings?"

The other woman looked at the sky, saying nothing for a moment.

"Wings represent...freedom. Also, I like birds." She returned her gaze to Jessie. "They remind me a bit of you. You're also pretty flighty."

Jessie scoffed. "Thanks, I guess?"

They walked some more until they arrived at the street that would lead to Ms. Chaca's place.

"Well, guess I should get home. Say, wanna meet up tonight? Hit the bar perhaps?" Jessie asked.

"I don't really have any plans, so sure. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about I pick you up from home?" Jessie offered with a grin. "That way I can actually take a look at the place."

Cissnei chuckled. "Fine. It's a date then."

With a wave the two went their separate ways, each having a smile on their lips.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The steam of the hot water wrapped around her body as she stepped out of the shower, enveloping her in some last bit of pleasant warmth before her toes landed on the towel spread out on the floor.

She grabbed the other, much more fluffier towel and began drying herself, starting with her long hair, then once she was sufficiently dry enough, wrapped it around her body and headed back into her room.

Once inside, she made a beeline for her bed, grabbing the comb from the bedside table next to it before sitting down. As she brushed her hair, Jessie's eyes fell on the clothes she had picked out. Nothing fancy really, since she didn't have a lot of options and the few items that she did buy in town were always more on the casual side, so she went with a pair of half cut jeans that hugged her body nicely and a black, low cut top.

After her hair was done, she got dressed and grabbed her little make up kit to put on some lip gloss as well as a tiny bit of eyeshadow. Done with that, she looked at herself in the mirror next to the door.

It was only once she was cupping the ladies to perk them up a little that she realized what she was doing.

She was sprucing herself up for a _date_.

" _It's a date then."_ She heard Cissnei's words echo in her mind. But...it wasn't really a date.

...

_Or is it?_ Jessie wondered. She wasn't really sure, to be honest. Cissnei never really gave her any signs that she might be interested, but earlier today she could have sworn that they had been flirting a little.

But now that she was standing here she wasn't so sure.

She stared at herself in the mirror. There was still time...

_Ah, what the hell._ Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Jessie walked over to her nightstand and pocketed some money. It didn't hurt to look good, after all.

Giving herself one final once over, she put on her shoes and left.

After the rain earlier today, the usually warm temperatures had cooled down a little, giving the coastal town a pleasant evening breeze that caressed her skin.

It took her a bit until she arrived at Cissnei's place, and once there Jessie took her time to take a better look after she crossed the little gate.

It was two stories, definitely big enough to fit a small family. A path led around the house to what must be the garden and she could see light shining from the small balcony above.

Yes, Cissnei definitely lived rather comfortably. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little envious.

Stepping up to the door, Jessie pressed the doorbell and waited. It took a little moment, but the door was soon opened by Cissnei, who was dressed in a comfortable looking bathrobe, her cinnamon colored hair still looking a bit damp from the shower she must have taken.

"Hey," Cissnei greeted her. "I was expecting you a bit later. Come in."

"Well, we didn't really agree on a time," Jessie admitted while stepping inside.

"Why don't you sit down for a moment while I get ready?"

"Sure." Cissnei led Jessie into the living room, where she sat down on the same sofa she had previously used to rest the last time she had been here.

"I won't be long," the other woman said and headed up the stairs.

"Take your time!" Jessie called after her. She looked around the room. It was painted in a pleasant dark orange, and the furniture had a modern, yet very cushy look to it. Letting herself sink into the red cushions of the sofa, Jessie had to force herself not to rest her feet on the expensive looking table.

Her eyes eventually landed on a bookshelf in the corner of the room. Rising back to her feet, she walked over to it and checked out some of the titles. She picked a book titled _The Complete History of the Wutai war_ and read it a little. There was some interesting info in there that she didn't really get taught in school, but it didn't even try to be neutral at all, proving to her that history truly was written by the winners.

_Wonder what they're going to write now? That Wutai had the last laugh?_ Placing the book back, she moved on to the next one, and the one after that.

Jessie had just read a book about the various types of martial arts when she spotted a book that looked different from the others. Newer.

It had no title and the entire cover was completely in black. As she took it out, she noticed that something was weird about it. The way it weighed felt strange. Turning it in her hand, Jessie soon saw the potential reason for it in the combination lock embedded on it.

_Huh? A diary perhaps?_ she wondered. But would Cissnei really leave a diary so out in the open?

Her fingers were playing around with the lock, when Cissnei's voice called out to her. Startled, Jessie placed the book back and headed over to the stairs. She arrived just in time for her friend to come down the stairs, dressed in a nice looking short sleeved dress that went down to her knees. Her hair was pulled up into a little ponytail, revealing the creamy skin of her neck and Jessie couldn't help but notice that the other woman had also put on just a bit of makeup.

"I hope you didn't have to wait long?" she asked as she came to stop next to her.

"You were actually pretty fast. And lookin' good, too!" Jessie replied, giving her a playful once over.

"Well, you aren't looking half bad yourself. You should wear your hair open more often."

Jessie ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe. But the ponytail keeps my hair from getting in the way."

After saying that she sent her friend another wink.

Cissnei let out a small chuckle. The two of them left the house and headed to the town plaza where Costa del Sol's biggest and most famous bar, appropriately named Bar del Sol, was located.

It was her first time here to be honest and Jessie could already tell this place represented the town like no other. The interior was completely made of wood and even the windows were covered by wooden shutters, giving the entire bar a rustic style that only a few lamps and a neon sign reading _Beach_ broke.

Underneath that sign stood a couple of well used looking surfboards. Potted plants, a jukebox that was playing music and a small fan completed the picture.

Around them people were talking and drinking, occasionally giving the two pretty ladies walking past them a look but not doing much else as they sat down at one of the tables.

A nice looking waitress walked over to them, the heels of her shoes click-clacking on the polished floor.

"Hi. What can I get you two?" she asked in a friendly tone.

"I'll take a Mideel Mule," Cissnei said, only taking a passing glance at the menu. Jessie on the other hand did a bit of a closer inspection of it, taking a minute before deciding on her pick.

"A Costa Libre, please."

The waitress grinned. "Good choice. You're sitting in the place where it was invented. I'll be right back."

Jessie watched the girl walk back, her eyes wandering just a tiny bit downward to that lovely behind clad in a tight mini skirt. Tearing her gaze away, she looked at Cissnei. "Mideel Mule. Never heard of that drink before," she commented.

"I have a friend from Mideel who liked to have a few of them after work back in Midgar," Cissnei told her. Jessie beamed internally at this little piece of information from her friend's otherwise mysterious past.

"So is she back home now?"

"Yeah. Her family are rather well known hunters in the area. I wager she picked up the family business again."

_A hunter, huh?_ "You meet interesting people, don't you?"

"Ha. I guess I do," Cissnei replied, giving Jessie a playful pointed look.

They didn't have to wait long for their drinks and as soon as Jessie took her first sip she could tell that this was indeed the original, the mixture of rum and cola being way different from the ones you would find in Midgar.

It also had way more of a kick to it. After placing the glass back down, Jessie's eyes landed on one of the wings that now adorned both of her friend's shoulders. They strangely suited her, she had to admit.

The tips of her fingers tingled a little with the desire to reach out and brush over the skin. But instead of doing that she asked: "So you've been all over the world?"

Cissnei took a sip of her drink and nodded. "Pretty much. Never been to Wutai, though. Or Icicle Inn for that matter. Cosmo Canyon was interesting."

"Oh, how so?"

"The people there study the planet and have managed to use technology that works in harmony with nature. It's pretty fascinating. I think everyone can learn a lot from them. Especially these days," Cissnei added.

"A friend of mine, his name's Wedge and you'd probably like him, once told me he wanted to visit Cosmo Canyon. I never really gave it much thought," Jessie said.

"I think everyone should see it once."

"Well, if you want, maybe you can show it to me one day?"

Cissnei smiled at that. "Only you? Are you sure you don't want your friend coming along?"

"Positive. I kinda like it when it's just the two of us," she said while subtly leaning forward a bit. Much to her delight, Cissnei's usually so composed facade cracked and she looked honestly taken aback, if only for a moment before that aura of quiet confidence returned. _Not so untouchable after all._

"I...like spending time with you too," Cissnei admitted, and she raised her drink to those pretty lips of hers. After taking a sip, the other woman seemed to consider something for a moment, before asking: "What did you do back then? In Midgar, I mean."

"What do you mean?" Jessie tilted her head to the side.

"You asked me what I did before all this. I thought it was only fair if I asked you the same."

"Ah." Yeah, that was fair. "Nothing much. I was fresh out of school and looking for a job."

"Really? I would've thought you'd had your own workshop and all."

"Nope. Just your average 18 year old kid trying to make it in the city," Jessie said with a grin.

"Heh, we're the same age then." Cissnei ran a finger over the rim of her glass. "But, well, family business. I started a bit earlier. Was effectively raised into it."

"Must've been nice to not have to apply for a job," Jessie commented.

"I suppose. Though these days I think I would've liked having a choice," Cissnei said, a slightly melancholic tone in her voice. Jessie looked at the other woman, focusing on the look in her eyes that had first drawn her to her, then grasped her glass and clanked it against the other.

"Here's to now having the freedom to do whatever you want."

Slowly, that smile returned to the other woman's face and she took hold of her glass. "I'll drink to that."

They both raised their drinks to their lips and drained what was left of them in one gulp. Jessie then waved her hand to call that cute waitress over. Ordering two more drinks, the two fell into easy conversation.

It was after the third drink, when all of a sudden Cissnei rose to her feet and walked over to the jukebox. Jessie watched with curious eyes as the other woman put a coin inside and changed the song. A few seconds passed before the relaxed song that had been playing before was replaced with a much more upbeat one.

Around the entire bar, she could see some of the patrons tapping their feet to the rhythm and it felt like a switch had been flipped as slowly the entire atmosphere around the place changed to one of merriment, with people openly laughing as they joked around and some of them getting up to dance a little.

All the while Cissnei walked towards Jessie, holding her hand out. "Care to make an ass out of ourselves?"

Immediately her mind went back to when it was her that had asked Cissnei to a dance and she couldn't stop the grin splitting her face.

"Hell yeah," she replied and grasped her friend's hand.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter** **12**

Laughter followed, and mixed with their own, as the two of them stepped outside. Each had an arm wrapped around the other's shoulder and their faces were flushed red.

The fresh evening breeze tickled Jessie's face while they walked, its soft caress brushing away some of the buzz that she felt and replaced it with clarity.

Other people trickled out of the bar behind them, everyone going their own ways to head home and sleep off this amazing night, even if some of them were sure to regret it the next day.

Jessie, too, heard the subtle siren call of her bed, but a part of her still wanted to enjoy this a bit more. Cissnei also didn't seem to be in any hurry to return home, instead subtly guiding them into the direction of the beach.

Giggling, the two did their best to not stumble down the stairs, using each other to keep themselves moderately balanced until they arrived on sandy ground.

They walked along the edge of the beach for a bit before plopping down on the ground. It was a beautiful night. Only a few passing clouds in the sky, chasing their cousins that had visited rain upon the coastal town earlier today, blocked the sight of the sparkling stars and the full moon shining brightly, its large form reflecting on the surface of the calm waves.

An amazing view. Almost...romantic, she had to say.

Jessie looked at it with a smile on her face. It was only when she noticed movement from out of the corner of her eye that she turned to look at Cissnei, who gently ran her fingers over the wing on her shoulder. The cheerful expression on her face had given way to a thoughtful one that made Jessie want to reach out and brush any worry she might have away.

But instead, she waited patiently for the other woman to tell her what's on her mind. It didn't take long.

"I lost a friend a year ago. He went missing," Cissnei told her. "I once told him 'Wings represent freedom to those that have none' when he was really depressed. I really didn't think much of it at the time, but the words stuck with me."

"Is that why you got them? To remember him?" Jessie asked.

"Partly. And because I now have that freedom myself that I spoke of. Still, I can't help but wonder if he's still alive..."

"He must mean a lot to you."

Cissnei chuckled. "It's not like that. He had a girlfriend he was happy with. Nice girl, I think you might've liked her. She sold flowers."

"In Midgar?" Cissnei nodded. "That's a rare treat. She must've made a killing with that."

Cissnei shrugged. "She had a modest income."

Silence set over them, and Jessie gaze returned to the open sea, spreading out across the horizon with no end in sight, almost black in the dark of the night if not for the moonlight.

"...You know, I was on the plate that day. When it all went to shit," Jessie said after a while. Cissnei didn't say anything, but she could feel her eyes on her. "I don't really remember anything. Just a jumbled mess covered in fog; like a hazy dream. I just know I must have panicked somehow. By the time I came to my senses, I was inside a storage room of a nearby store and somehow managed to lock the door from the inside."

She focused her gaze on the moon, drawing small circles in the sand. "Once I stepped outside, it was like the entire world had been turned upside down. Everyone was stumbling around looking lost in their own homes. I managed to find my parents and then headed into the slums to reunite with my friends there. Shortly after, we left the city."

"We moved to Kalm. Tried to get a new life going. Worked for them, not so much for me," she told Cissnei. "That's why I'm here. Looking for myself and a way to move forward with my life..."

She closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. It felt good, telling Cissnei all this; to get it off her chest with someone she knew could relate.

"I wasn't in Midgar when it happened," Cissnei admitted, prompting Jessie to open her eyes to look at her again. "A co-worker and I were out on business when he heard of the attack. But by the time we arrived, it was already over. We split up to search for our friends. Haven't seen him since."

"Did you find them?"

"Some. The one I've told you about, and two others. Everyone else is missing. I can only hope they weren't there when it happened." She looked at Jessie. "Like you said, we all lost something that day."

"Mmh," Jessie hummed.

All of a sudden, Cissnei rose to her feet, the expression on her face replaced by a smile. "Let's go swimming!"

Jessie blinked, tilting her head to the side. "What, right now?"

"Yeah."

She let out an amused chuckle then pointed at herself. "In case you haven't noticed I have no swimsuit with me."

Instead of answering her, Cissnei kicked off her shoes and pulled her dress over her head, discarding it on the sand in a matter of seconds.

"Wow! What's this gonna—" the rest of her words remained stuck in her throat when the other woman opened the front clasp of her bra, freeing her modest but well-shaped breasts from its constraints. After shrugging it off, Cissnei removed her panties and undid her hair, shaking it out a little while her soft skin shimmered invitingly in the pale moonlight.

Cissnei sent her a small sideways smirk before dashing off towards the water. She waded into it until she was hip deep, then turned around and waved at Jessie.

"Come on, slowpoke! The water's surprisingly warm!"

The words managed to pull Jessie out of her stupor.

Her lips curled into a grin.

Getting to her feet, Jessie undressed as well, dropping her clothes next to Cissnei's. For a moment she was a little uncertain if they should just let them lie around like that, but in the end figured there wouldn't be anyone coming by anyway before following her friend into the water.

Indeed, it was not cold as she suspected, but it also wasn't as warm as Cissnei had made it seem, and a small shiver went through her as she waded towards the other woman, who had gone a bit further into the water

"And you call me crazy," Jessie said after she had caught up to her.

Cissnei shrugged, causing a certain part of her anatomy to do a little jiggle. "I never skinny-dipped before and it seemed like the perfect time."

"Seems more like I'm rubbing off on ya." Jessie laughed, but was interrupted midway by Cissnei splashing her face. Sputtering, she glared at her friend, who defiantly stared back. "It's war then."

Jessie followed those words by splashing Cissnei right back in the face. She backed away a little, shaking her head in reflex to get the water out of her eyes, then promptly retaliated.

Laughing like a pair of school kids, the two started to splash each other left and right, neither giving the other any quarter as it became a war of aquatic dominance. Soon, that wasn't enough anymore and Jessie found herself dunked underwater before she even knew what happened.

But Jessie was quick to respond, ducking out from under Cissnei's hands and slipping her arms around her waist, lifting her up as she resurfaced and throwing her over her back.

This turned into an all-out wrestling match between the two of them that little by little brought them closer to the shore once again where they ended in a stalemate as they grabbed each other's arms tightly.

"You can give up anytime~" Jessie sing-songed before bursting into giggles.

"Sorry, but I don't make it a habit to give up," Cissnei replied with a wide grin.

They pushed and pulled, but to no avail. Staring at the other woman, Jessie couldn't help but take note of how the moonlight illuminated Cissnei's face, making each little droplet of water running down her smooth skin sparkle like little diamonds.

The grin on Cissnei's face fell, turning into a look of question as she tilted her head to the side.

Slowly, their grip on one another loosened, and Jessie's right hand slid up Cissnei's arm to brush some of that wet hair out of her face. Not a word passed between them as they stared at one another, but inside her mind she was screaming at how beautiful the other woman looked right now.

Releasing a shuddering breath, Jessie leaned in.

It was a short and sweet kiss, almost over the instant their lips touched, and Jessie gazed into those hazel irises that were a reflection of her own in so many ways.

"Sorry."

"I don't mind...quite the opposite, in fact."

"Good," Jessie said and leaned in again. She had been wanting to do this for a while. The hand that had brushed away her hair, cupped Cissnei's cheek as she pulled her closer, her other arm circling around her waist as soft lips started to caress her own.

The taste alcohol from earlier mixed with a little bit of salt from the water, intoxicating her on a whole different level. A gasp escaped her as Cissnei's hands started to roam a little, caressing her skin with warm fingers here and there; teasing her, but never fully committing to one area, much to Jessie's frustration.

But two could play that game. The hand that was lazily stroking her hip moved down to give Cissnei's ass a squeeze and press her even closer, deepening the kiss when the other woman let out a gasp of her own. Hardened nipples dug into the skin on her breasts as they rubbed against each other.

Tearing her lips away, Jessie buried her face into the crook of Cissnei's neck.

"Fuck, you're so hot," she murmured against her sensitive skin, gently nipping it. Fingers buried themselves into her hair, pulling her away only for her lips to be immediately seized in a hungry kiss that made her head spin, tongues clashing in a battle of carnal dominance that neither wanted to concede.

Placing her hand on the small of Cissnei's back, Jessie started to gently lower her into the wet sand. Once lying down, Jessie pulled away from the kiss to look at the delicious sight in front of her. Wet hair framing Cissnei's face, her chest heaving as she breathed deeply and eyes filled with obvious want while the water lapped at them.

Chuckling, she leaned down to plant little butterfly kisses on her collarbone. "I'm going to eat you all up."

"Promises, promises," Cissnei shot back teasingly, closing her eyes at the sensation.

"I never let a treat go to waste, cinnamon bun," she said and drew her tongue across her skin, slowly making her way downward to her pair of pretty tits, burying her face in the valley between them and inhaling her scent mixed with the salt of the sea, before moving on towards one of her nipples, pink and painfully eager to receive attention. She watched in delight as it hardened even further when she breathed against the small nub.

Teasingly, she rolled the tip of her tongue around it, making Cissnei squirm a little.

"Tease..."

Jessie laughed a little. "Enjoy it~"

She planted the ghost of a kiss on top of the nipple, before returning to her sweet torture, alternating between both tits a few times and enjoying all the little sounds Cissnei was making. Having had her fill, Jessie gently took a nipple between her teeth, holding it there for but a short, exquisite moment, before sucking it fully into her mouth.

Cissnei released a low moan, arching her back a little as her hand went to take hold of her head, keeping it there while she was finally giving her proper attention.

The flame deep inside her burned with desire, wanting—no—needing more of this. Of _her_. Releasing Cissnei's nipple, Jessie planted open-mouthed kisses on her stomach as she trailed her way downward, making the other woman part her legs to reveal the real treasure she was after.

Pretty, just like everything about her, she could feel the heat radiating off her pussy; inviting her in. Her eyes darted up for a moment, seeking out Cissnei's hazel eyes, before diving in.

"Oh, fuck..." Cissnei moaned out, her fingers digging almost painfully into Jessie's hair as she traced her sensitive flesh with her tongue, pushing out her hips to get more of that sensation.

Jessie was more than happy to oblige.

A grin forming on her face, she plunged the tip of her tongue into Cissnei's waiting hole, wriggling it around teasingly and making the other woman release a mewl that was pure music to her ears, edging her on even more.

She retracted her tongue, moving up to brush the tip against Cissnei's clit before sucking on it in a way that Jessie knew would drive her crazy. Arching her back, Cissnei shivered from the sensation, eyes slammed shut and mouth agape as she let her pleasure be known to the wide and open sea. Her other hand joined its twin on the back of Jessie's head, holding her in place while she worked her magic.

A moan ripped through Jessie, her own desire growing further and further as she ate Cissnei out, a blazing heat pooling between her legs that even the refreshing water brushing against her pussy couldn't quell.

"Jessie..." Her name had never sounded more beautiful than right now, filled with so much desire and something else she couldn't fully place but was driving her on to take Cissnei to the heights of ecstasy. And from the way she was shaking she wasn't far off.

All the more surprised she was, when she felt herself being pulled back by her hair. Turning her eyes, she saw Cissnei staring at her with lust-filled eyes, her chest rising and falling as she panted.

"Kiss me," she demanded. Something inside Jessie snapped and she crawled back on top of her, claiming those pretty lips in a hungry kiss. Their tongues immediately clashed, and Cissnei moaned into Jessie's mouth at the taste of herself.

Without breaking their kiss, Jessie rolled onto her side, pulling Cissnei with her and leaving just enough room between them to explore each other's bodies to their heart's content; caressing and teasing, pinching and twisting, in delicious ways. A shiver of anticipation went through her as Cissnei's hand slowly inched downward, leaving a hot trail where fingertips brushed against soft skin, moving through brown curls before coming to rest on her wet folds.

She moaned out, involuntarily tearing her lips away from Cissnei's as two fingers slipped between velvety folds and deep inside.

"Oh, yes!"

Cissnei leaned forward, resting her forehead against Jessie's to look deep into her eyes. "Fuck me!" she breathed out as she started to pump her fingers in and out. Not being able, nor wanting to resist, Jessie moved her hand and plunged two fingers into the other woman's snatch as well.

Their moans echoed down the beach; an aria of lust that was accompanied by the sound of the waves and the noises of their intense finger fucking, never once breaking eye contact as they inched closer and closer to that feeling of absolute bliss.

Her thumb moved to brush against Cissnei's clit, massaging it with the same eagerness as the two fingers inside her, sending even more sparks of hot pleasure up her spine that burned away the last bits of reason inside her mind, leaving nothing but pure animalistic instinct.

Almost there. _Almost there!_

Then, like a spring uncurling, the heat pooling deep inside her exploded, causing her body to seize up while waves upon waves of orgasmic pleasure rippled through her. As she moaned her release, Cissnei stiffened and joined her over the edge.

They clung to one another, desperately trying to intensify this feeling of closeness, lips seeking each other in a loving kiss as all around them everything ceased to exist for this fleetingly beautiful moment.

But it was not to last, and soon they returned from their orgasmic heights, gasping for breath as their lips separated, each having a satisfied smile on their lips.

"That was—"

"—Wow," Cissnei finished.

"Never did it on a beach before," Jessie admitted, releasing her hold on Cissnei.

"Neither have I. And I have to say—" Cissnei sat up and started to rub her hair. "It's quite sandy."

Jessie burst into laughter. That was true. She would have to take a shower once she was home. Sitting up herself, she watched the other woman try to get the wet sand out of her hair, only to give up a moment later and release a sigh of resignation.

Cissnei turned to look at her. "What?"

Instead of saying something, Jessie circled her arm around the other woman's waist and pulled her in for another short kiss.

Cissnei looked at her in amusement after she pulled back. "Not that I mind kissing you some more, but I think we shouldn't stay much longer. It's getting awfully cold now."

It was. Didn't really help that they were thoroughly soaked too. "Yeah, you're right."

Releasing Cissnei, Jessie rose to her feet, holding out her hand to help her up. After walking back to their clothes, they did their best to shake off any sand before putting their clothes back on, yet Jessie still grimaced at the feeling of them clinging to her wet body.

_Note to self: not on the beach!_

They didn't even bother with their shoes, opting to instead carry them as they made their way towards the stair. Jessie was just about to take the first step when a tingling feeling in the back of her mind made her stop and return her gaze to the sea.

"Jessie?" Cissnei asked, but her voice was nothing more than a faint echo as Jessie started to walk back towards the shore. Each step that feeling turned into sound; the sound of a beautiful voice singing to her, drawing her in like a siren call and engulfing her in a warm feeling that she hadn't felt in what felt like an eternity.

But as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished again, leaving her with only the feeling of the cool night breeze on her body.

"Jessie? Are you alright?" she heard Cissnei ask from behind her.

Blinking in confusion, Jessie made to turn around. "I—yeah—I just thought I heard something for a second...Probably got water in my ear."

She made to walk towards Cissnei when she felt her foot collide with something, prompting her to look down. Right next to her foot was a seashell, embedded in the muddy shore.

Without really thinking about it, Jessie knelt down and dug it out of the dirt.

"Is that a shell?" Cissnei asked after stepping up to her.

"Looks like it. Never seen one like it," Jessie replied. She turned it in her hand for a moment, before pocketing it with a smile. "I'll keep it as a reminder of this special night."

"Can we go now?"

Jessie turned her smile towards Cissnei and nodded.

The two of them ascended the steps then headed towards Cissnei's place. Once they arrived, the other woman unlocked the door and turned around to face her.

"I really enjoyed tonight," Cissnei said. "It was fun..."

"It was."

"Maybe we can do this again?"

Jessie smiled. "I'd like that."

She watched as Cissnei's eyes darted down to her lips, before stepping up to kiss her. Just like their first kiss earlier it was short and sweet, but leaving her lips tingling and wanting for more.

"I probably should head home," Jessie said and took a step back, but found her hand gently grasped by Cissnei's.

"Stay the night," she said softly, hazel eyes gazing deep into her own and her voice not leaving any room for argument even if Jessie had wanted to.

Gently interlacing their fingers, Cissnei guided her inside.

* * *

The sea was quiet. Not a soul in sight as everyone was lying in their beds; dreaming of the days to come.

The moon was slowly starting its descent to make way for the sun.

Up above the beach, a lone figure stood, looking down on the gentle waves lapping onto the shore, eyes focused on one spot in particular where not too long ago a tiny shell had been resting. Any traces of it ever being there were washed away with the ebb and flow of the water.

The silence was broken by the sound of the rhythmic plucking of guitar strings that soon turned into a melody as soothing as the breeze in the air.

"So this is your game," the musician said and tipped his head at the sea before turning away, a small grin on his face as he started to walk. The song followed him on every step as he passed the buildings full of sleeping people.

Praise be to the Sea Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, cat is finally out of the bag that this is a Jessie/Cissnei fic. Now that's a crack pairing if there ever was, eh?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

A groan escaped her as the rays of the sun hit her face, turning the black in front of her eyes into a glaring red. She turned around, even placing her pillow on top of her head, but to avail.

She was awake now.

Pulling the pillow away again, Jessie cracked an eye open to look at the empty space next to her, gingerly reaching her hand out to stroke it while the corners of her lips curled into a small smile.

Cissnei was always the early riser. In the six months since they had been together now she probably only witnessed a handful of times that her girlfriend slept in.

Girlfriend...

It was funny how things would go sometimes. Back when she started her little journey, she hadn't really planned on getting into any serious relationships, yet here she was.

Lounging around in a big comfy bed, that she shared with a beautiful woman each night.

It had been Cissnei that wanted her to move in not too long after the two of them got together. At first it was a little strange, but she had gotten used to it pretty quickly. And it felt good to have someone sleep next to you every night; keeping some of that empty feeling at bay that was yet in her heart still.

Like a thorn jagged deep inside, refusing to come out.

She was happy, happier than she had been in a long time, but something was still missing, and that something was whispering in the back of her mind, telling her that she had to go out and travel; to find that missing piece of the puzzle that was Jessie.

A week ago she had broached the subject of going on a trip, to see what was beyond those mountains. Cissnei had been surprised, but not outright against it.

They hadn't talked about it ever since.

 _Maybe today would be a good time,_ she thought as she finally managed to force herself out of that way too comfortable bed.

Jessie stretched herself a little before proceeding to get herself ready for the day. After brushing her teeth and taking a nice long shower, she put on a top and a pair of loose pants, then walked over to the nightstand and grabbed the necklace lying there, looking at the small seashell dangling from it.

Cissnei had made it for her not long after she found it and she wore it everyday ever since. In a way she almost felt naked without it.

After putting it on, she gave herself another look in the mirror, then left the bedroom. She was making her way down the stairs when the smell of freshly brewed coffee entered her nostrils, so it didn't surprise her in the least to find Cissnei sitting at the kitchen table, already dressed for the day, a cup in her right hand as she scanned today's newspapers.

"Good morning," Cissnei said without looking up.

"Morning," Jessie replied, walking over to the other woman and leaning down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Anything interesting?"

"Apparently they're building a theatre in Edge."

"Already?"

"Mmh."

Jessie walked over to the cupboards, taking a cup of her own and filling it with some of that delicious smelling brew, taking a small whiff of it before sipping. The warmth and slight bitterness gave her that last little push to be fully awake.

She took another sip before sitting down opposite of Cissnei and watching her silently as she read.

"Yes?" Cissnei asked after a few moments of that. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just watching you."

"True, but I can also tell you want to talk." Cissnei chuckled and the newspaper aside to look at her. "Is it about our talk last week?"

Was she really that open a book?

"Actually, yeah. You didn't seem to be against the idea so I thought we could discuss it further. Make plans," Jessie said and leaned back in her seat a little. She was just about to continue when the doorbell interrupted. Blinking she tilted her head. "Are you expecting someone?"

"No, I don't." Cissnei started to rise to her feet, but Jessie was faster.

"I'll get it. Just think about what I said for a sec," Jessie said with a grin and a wink, before leaving the kitchen towards the front door.

Opening it, she saw a man standing there, dressed in a short sleeved blue shirt, white slacks and an expensive looking pair of shoes. His almost orange looking hair had a sort of wild, yet orderly flair to it, and his sideburns looked well taken care of.

Jessie had never seen her before in her life. "Hello. Can I help you?"

His eyebrows shot up from behind his shades and he pulled the cigar he was smoking from his mouth to properly address her. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm looking for a woman named Cissnei. Does she live here?"

Now it was her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. _Does she know this guy?_

"Uh...yeah." She turned her head to call over her shoulder. "Cissnei! It's for you!"

Her girlfriend didn't take long to arrive on the scene. She frowned when she noticed just a small pause in Cissnei's step as she approached them.

"There you are, and quite well, too. Been looking for you for a while," the man said with a grin.

"It's been a while," Cissnei said evenly. "What brings you here?"

"Business, of course. I wanted to make you an offer. Care to hear it?"

Jessie watched as Cissnei pursed her lips in thought, before nodding. "Fine, but not in the doorway. Let's take a walk, shall we?"

"Fine by me."

Cissnei turned towards Jessie and gave her a small smile. "I'll be right back. Have some breakfast in the meantime and we'll continue our conversation when I'm back."

"Sure..." Jessie replied, watching as Cissnei stepped outside to join this unknown man. She couldn't help but feel a spark of jealousy inside her at how familiar the guy acted with her. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh and returned to the kitchen.

She was being silly.

* * *

They walked in silence, neither saying anything as they passed by people on the street, their faces masks of neutrality that didn't reveal anything. She would scan her surroundings, and he would periodically puff on his cigar, leaving a dissipating trail of heavily scented smoke behind them. After a few minutes of walking, they entered an alley where they knew they wouldn't be disturbed.

Cissnei looked at the man in front of her. The Legend himself, the Turk many people only knew as the Death God of the Battlefield.

"So what is it you want?" she asked.

"Straight to the point as ever," he replied, taking a drag from his cigar. He exhaled the smoke before saying: "I'm looking for people from the old gang. Getting them together."

Dread and morbid curiosity grew in her chest. "For what?"

He shrugged. "World's changed. Lots of things have been turned upside down. Thought it might make for an interesting business opportunity."

"You mean smuggling," she said sharply.

The Legend grinned. "Amongst other things."

"Hm," _Of course._ "So, had any luck yet?"

"A couple have joined, others, like our blonde friend, told me to fuck off." He lowered his shades to look at her. "What about you? Company raised you. It's all you've ever known. We could give you stability again. But, then again, you didn't seem to have a problem settling down with that girl, it seems."

Cissnei glared at him. "Keep her out of this."

"Touchy subject, hmm? I get it. Well, I ain't forcing you. It's an offer, nothing more." He put out his cigar against the wall and flicked the butt deeper into the alley.

She lowered her eyes to the ground. Truth be told, it was an enticing offer. Half a year ago she might have jumped at the chance.

Shinra had raised her, had been her family, but they were gone now; vanished in a single day with only a few remnants remaining that all seemed to do their own thing. And her? She had lost her purpose.

That was until she had met Jessie, who seemed to be just like her but in different ways. And before she knew it, she found that she was moving forward, little by little.

Learning to live her own life. She raised one of her hands and brushed it against the sleeve of her shirt, just above where one of her two wings rested. _Wings represent freedom to those that have none._

"Guess that's a no then," he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I'm impressed, honestly. Back when I first met you I'd never thought that you of all people would let your feelings get the better of you, but here you are. Lucky girl, really."

"I—"

He raised a hand disarmingly. "It's cool. Like I said, it was an offer." He reached into his pocket to pull out another cigar and put it between his teeth. "So, what's her name, anyway?"

She looked at him, trying to see if he was playing with her, but could only find earnest interest. "Jessie."

"Seems like a nice girl. Take it from an old goat like me: hold onto her. Chances like this are rare for the kind of people we are, so they're all the more precious." He started to walk towards the end of the alley. "I really like what you've done to the old place, by the way. Real nice love nest."

He raised his hand to give her a little wave, then turned to the right. By the time she walked out there was no trace left of him.

She remained there for a couple of minutes before returning home.

Back there she found Jessie sitting in the kitchen, having breakfast like she had told her to. A small wave of warmth went through her as her girlfriend looked up from her food and towards her.

"Already done?" she asked.

With a small smile, Cissnei walked over and sat down again. "I told him no."

"Really?" Jessie blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"How else would we go on that trip if I didn't?"

She watched as that look of surprise turned into an eager grin that she couldn't help but mirror.

Cissnei didn't really know what she was doing. Romantic relationships were a complete unknown to her even six months into theirs. But she could tell this meant a lot to Jessie.

And Jessie meant a lot to her.

* * *

Later that night Cissnei was lying awake, listening to the soft breathing of Jessie as she slept. She turned to look at her, long brown hair sticking out a little and partially covering her face. Careful not to disturb her, she reached out to brush that hair out of her face and behind her ear.

Releasing a sigh through her nose, she slowly removed the covers and climbed out of bed with cat-like grace, not making a single sound as she walked over to the door, slipped out and closed it behind her.

After leaving their bedroom, Cissnei headed down into the living room, making a beeline for the bookshelf. On her way she took hold of the edge of the carpet and pulled it aside.

Once in front of the shelf she took the rightmost book, the one with a simple black cover and turned in her hand so that she could enter the combination. Instead of a clicking sound a beep echoed from inside the book and Cissnei turned around to watch as the floor parted to reveal a set of stairs leading underground.

Putting the book away, she headed downstairs into the hidden room. Inside were a set of lockers, a computer and all sorts of other high-tech equipment that would make Jessie salivate just to look at it.

Cissnei, though, only showed interest in the box resting on the table and walked over to it. She used her thumbs to undo the latches on each side, then opened it to reveal a large silver and red colored shuriken.

Running her fingers over one of its razor sharp blades, she grabbed one of the handles and took it out of the box.

Sure, they would only be going on a trip, but the Turk inside her still liked to be prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cissnei's a Turk! Plot twist of the century!
> 
> Decided to switch things up a little and also have her point of view from now on. I hope you'll enjoy the look inside her mind as well.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Floating._

_She was floating in a vast, dark sea surrounded by nothing. The only sounds she could hear were of the water and her breathing. Moving her hand, she could feel the small ripples it created._

_Warmth spread through her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, like a blanket wrapping itself protectively around her._

_A smile formed on her lips, letting herself drift with her eyes closed. She knew that nothing could harm her here._

_Absolute tranquillity._

_She felt at peace. More so than she had ever before in her life._

_Opening her eyes, she stared up at the sky, completely empty. But then, it happened; a small light started to glow high above. It was soon joined by another, and another, and then another. Until everything was covered by a sea of glittering stars, their fleeting forms twinkling brightly in the distance._

_She reached a hand out, holding it up towards them. They seemed so small from down here. With a little chuckle, she pulled her hand back, letting it fall back into the water._

_Behind her, she could feel a presence rise from the water, but instead of being startled, she remained relaxed even as she felt a hand being placed on her forehead. The smile on her lips grew bigger at the soothing aura coming from the presence._

_Golden hair flowed at the edge of her vision, before a beautiful looking woman leaned over her, a smile on her pretty lips and her glowing green eyes sparkling with the affection of a mother; telling her that everything was going to be alright._

_Her eyelids grew heavy, making her blink a few times to stay awake, but the woman's smile simply widened._

Sleep _, she heard her voice deep inside her mind._

" _Okay," she murmured and let her eyes fall closed, slowly drifting off under watchful eyes._

Jessie jumped awake as underneath her the ground shook, and she looked around for a moment before finally getting her bearings. She was in a truck bed, and it wasn't the ground that was shaking but the vehicle.

"Awake again?" she heard Cissnei ask from the right, making Jessie look at her.

"Mhm," was Jessie's only response while rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry 'bout that," another voice said from the front, speaking to them through the window at the back of the driver's cab. "Roads around these parts are pretty clunky."

"It's alright," Jessie said. She didn't mean to fall asleep, anyway.

"I believe you were just telling me about your best friend's daughter, Mr. Wallace," Cissnei said.

"Oh, yes!" the man, Barret Wallace, replied. "I really hope she's gonna be a big sis for my kid."

"So you're going to be a father soon too?" Cissnei asked. "Congratulations!"

"Heh, thanks. It's a strange feelin' you know..."

While he continued to talk, Jessie looked around. On the other side of the truck bed were a couple of huge sacks, all filled with coal from the mining town of Corel.

After leaving Costa del Sol, the two had taken the mountain trail that would lead them straight to the neighboring town. There they had spent a couple of days to restock and catch a ride. Luckily for them, Barret had been willing to let them ride along while making the monthly deliveries to the towns of Gongaga and Nibelheim.

Barret was probably the largest man she had ever seen. His outside appearance made him look like an unfriendly fellow, but underneath, she soon learned, that he was as alright a guy as you could find and Jessie couldn't help but smile as he talked about the people he cared about.

"So you were one of the people to retrofit the Corel reactor?" Jessie asked.

"Yup. We're the ones who built it in the first place, too," he said. "Shinra had promised us all a steady income back then. But with Shinra gone we had to get creative. And coal is there in abundance."

"That's really impressive," Cissnei commented.

"Heh," Barret chuckled. "Interestin' to see young ladies like you out here in the sticks though, I have to say."

"We're on a trip. Seeing the world and all that," Jessie said.

"I see. Well I guess I shouldn't complain. At least I get someone to talk to," he said jokingly, making Jessie chuckle.

While Barret told them what he knew about the area, Jessie rose to her feet to look over the driver's cab into the distance. It was still quite the distance, but she could already see the jungle that harbored their first destination: the town of Gongaga.

From what she had heard in Corel, it wasn't the most interesting of towns. Rural as it could get, with the most interesting thing about it the now defunct Mako reactor. Maybe she could take a peek when they were there. Who knows what she might find?

She plopped back down next to Cissnei, giving her girlfriend a smile before looking up at the clear blue sky.

"What are you thinking about?" Cissnei asked her.

"Nothing, really." Jessie shook her head, then moved to rest it on the other woman's shoulder. "Thanks for doing this with me."

Cissnei smiled and hugged her around the shoulders. "Always."

She locked her eyes with Cissnei's, gazing deep into them before slowly leaning in. Their lips were a hair's breadth away when all of a sudden the truck jumped a little as it drove over a bump in the road, making them knock into one another.

"Piece of shit road! Sorry!" Barret called from the front.

Pushing herself away from Cissnei, she saw her rub the back of her head where it had collided with the truck cab. Their eyes met again and both released a chuckle before bursting into laughter.

* * *

It was a few hours later that they arrived in Gongaga. As thanks for having taken them along, Cissnei and Jessie helped Barret unload the coal meant for the quiet forest village. Afterwards they arranged lodgings for the night.

They would stay here for a day, before continuing on their way with Barret further north.

A sigh escaped Cissnei as she walked along a beaten path at the edge of the village. In the distance she could see the Mako reactor, reduced to nothing but a behemoth of steel that was standing around without function; serving at best as a nesting place for birds in generations to come. A group of three people were walking towards it, amongst them Jessie, who had been eager to explore the old power plant.

When asked if she wanted to join, Cissnei had just shaken her head and wished her fun. She had never been one to be all too interested in that type of thing. Besides—

She looked around town.

-There was a bit of history here for her. It had already been nagging at her on their way here, but thankfully her acting abilities hadn't rusted, so she kept it well hidden from Jessie. She didn't need to drag down her mood when she was having fun.

With another sigh, Cissnei turned around and walked in the opposite direction, passing villagers as they followed their daily routine. She had to wonder, how would the village look if Shinra was still active?

Did it even make a difference to the people here?

They had lived here before Shinra, and they would continue to do so after. It was honestly enviable.

Her feet carried her, almost as if of their own volition, towards one particular house, situated in the lower right part of town. One that she had only been at once before, over a year ago now.

The house of the Fairs.

Back when Zack went AWOL, she had been the one tasked to search in his hometown.

Nibelheim had been the first place the Turks had looked for the team, of course, but the mayor had told them that they had fixed the reactor and left after a couple of days. The Turk sent found no evidence to the contrary, and so the search continued.

She had been sent to Gongaga alone, well known as a friend of Zack's among the Turks. Tseng had wished her luck as he went off to search for Sephiroth, never getting anything more than rumors of him passing by villages.

Coming to a stop in front of the door, she pursed her lips. She had introduced herself as a friend of Zack's when she met them, making up a simple lie of him having asked her to check on his parents while she was in the area.

They were kind people who missed their son enough already; she couldn't bring herself to tell them their son had gone missing.

Slowly, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Yes, coming!" she heard a feminine voice from the inside that only belonged to Mrs. Fair. It didn't take long for the door to open and reveal the older woman, her dark hair pulled into a bun and wearing an apron in front of her red dress. She had a questioning look on her face before her dark eyes sparked with recognition. "Ah! Hello. Cissnei, wasn't it?"

"Hello, Mrs. Fair," Cissnei greeted her politely.

"Who is it?" another voice, Mr. Fair's, asked from further inside.

"It's Zack's friend, Cissnei!"

"Well, invite her in, then!"

Mrs. Fair chuckled and stepped aside. "Well, you heard the man."

With a smile, Cissnei stepped inside. It was a nice little home, big enough for two people and a son that was sadly not there anymore, radiating a warmth that just invited you.

"Hello, young lady." Mr. Fair was almost the spitting image of his son, the only difference being a few wrinkles, the graying hair and of course the lack of Mako infused eyes. "Sit down, sit down."

"Would you like to have a cup of tea?" Mrs. Fair asked after she had sat down.

"I'd like that," she replied with a smile.

"So what brings ya here?" Mr. Fair asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm just passing through, really. Figured I might pay a visit while I'm here." She gave a nod after receiving her cup. "Thank you."

"Oh?" Mrs. Fair blinked in surprise as she sat down next to her husband. "I thought you might be here because of the news."

Cissnei took a sip of the tea, the spicy mixture of herbs warming her body. "What news?" she asked curiously.

"About the wedding, of course!" Zack's mother said.

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What wedding?"

The older couple looked at each other, before Zack's father let out a weary sigh and shook his head.

"Typical. Forgets to tell his friend," he muttered. He looked at her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. We're talking about Zack's wedding, of course."

Her body seized up for just a fraction of a second before her training kicked in, but it still wasn't enough to keep her from dropping the cup to the ground. "Oh, no! I'm sorry!"

Zack's mother had already risen back up and grabbed a towel from the kitchen. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You actually reacted just like my dear husband here."

Mr. Fair let out a hearty laugh. "It's true. Who would've thought he'd be getting hitched?"

"Well, he did write to us about his girlfriend while he was in Midgar, didn't he?" the older woman countered.

"True."

While the older couple talked, Cissnei's mind went a mile a minute trying to comprehend what she had just been told.

_Zack's getting married. Zack's getting married!_

But how?

They had turned pretty much everything upside down searching for him!

And now all of a sudden he has resurfaced and was actually getting married, of all things. It didn't make any sense!

Licking her lips, she noticed that they had gone dry all of a sudden, and it took all her training and willpower to keep up the charade that she wasn't completely shocked out of her mind. "So...he's getting married?"

"Hmm?" Mrs. Fair had just picked up the thankfully still intact cup. "Oh, yes. Yes. He told us in a letter a few weeks ago."

_A few weeks ago...Zack..._

"Do you know from where he sent it?"

"Why, yes. From the west and up into the mountains," Mr. Fair said. "From, uh, what's it called again?"

"Nibelheim," his wife threw in.

"Yeah, that's the name!"

_Nibelheim._ Had Zack been there all this time? But why?

"Listen. I'm very sorry my son didn't tell you. He can be pretty dumb sometimes. I just hope you're not mad about it?"

Cissnei took a deep breath before giving the pair a small smile. "He probably just forgot. But as it so happens I was heading towards Nibelheim anyway. Is there anything I should tell him?"

Mr. Fair rubbed a hand across his chin. "Well if you're heading that way, please tell him we'll be there on time for the wedding."

"I will." Cissnei rose to her feet.

"Oh you're already leaving?" Mrs. Fair asked, tea pot already in hand again.

"Yes. My partner is with me and I don't want to keep her waiting. Thank you for telling me about Zack, and I'm sorry about the tea." Without even waiting for a reply, Cissnei all but ran out of the house, leaving the older couple looking after her in confusion.

Outside, she headed up the pathway and around the corner, closing her eyes as she leaned against a tree.

_Zack...why?_ She needed to figure out why he vanished without a trace. Shinra might be gone, but that didn't stop her from wanting answers.

Taking a few calming breaths, Cissnei pushed herself away from the tree and headed back to the center of the town. There she found that Jessie had returned from her little excursion, talking with one of the villagers that had taken her there.

"That thing looked seriously out of maintenance. Maybe it was good it got shut down. Worst case it might've exploded—oh, hey, Cissnei!" Jessie grinned when she saw her approaching them and despite her little revelation earlier she felt the corners of her lips curl up into a smile. Her girlfriend walked to meet her halfway, hand going into her pocket. "Check out what I found!"

Cissnei watched as Jessie produced a red orb, it's smooth surface reflecting the sun as she held it out to her. Materia.

And not just any materia.

"...Summon Materia," Cissnei stated, not able to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Yup," Jessie said and put it back into her pocket.

"Those are...very rare."

"I know, right?" A grin formed on the brunette's face. "They said I can keep it, since no one here has any use for it. Who knows? Might come in handy against a creepy crawler or two."

Cissnei chuckled. "Well, why don't you tell me about what you saw?"

"It was amazing!" Jessie said as they started to walk towards the inn. Cissnei listened intently as Jessie recounted in detail how the reactor was built and all the defects that she had found along the way. She was just telling her about how she had found the Materia when she found her mind drifting off to the revelation earlier.

She had to find out why Zack just disappeared.

"Cissnei?"

"Hmm?" Cissnei looked at Jessie, who gave her a puzzled look.

"Everything alright? You seem distracted," she said, and Cissnei could see the worry in her eyes.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Cissnei grasped Jessie's hand with her own. "It's...been a long day."

"Hmm. Well you didn't take a nap, so no wonder. Come on, let's lie down for a bit," Jessie offered with a smile.

"Yeah." Cissnei nodded. "Let's do that."

Their little trip had all of a sudden become _very_ interesting and Cissnei didn't know if that was a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens...Oh hey, Barret! How's life treatin' ya?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Mt. Nibel.

She had heard stories about it before, in Costa del Sol, but they didn't do it justice at all. Its titanic size overshadowed everything she had ever seen before and if she didn't know better she could have sworn that its twisted tips were scraping at the roof of the world.

It was a bizarre, yet strangely beautiful sight, with an air of...something around it that Jessie couldn't place at all.

The town of Nibelheim was all but mundane in comparison, having a dusty yet kitschy charme to it. If Kalm had been like the edge of the world to her, then Nibelheim was well beyond it. Nestled at the foot of the mountain it owed its name to, it was surrounded by a wall that kept any local monster at bay, with its only entrance being a small gate.

As the truck slowly came to a halt, Jessie spotted an old and beaten car standing at the edge of what seemed to be the town square, and she had to wonder if this might actually be the most advanced thing around here.

It certainly looked that way.

"Well, here we are," Barret said after he parked the truck. He got out of the vehicle, while Cissnei and her jumped down from the side. "Sorry I can't take you further than this."

"That's alright," Jessie said with a grateful smile.

"So what's your plan now? Head over the mountain?" he asked, crossing his large arms in front of his chest.

"We wanted to stay for a couple of days for now," Jessie replied. Cissnei and her had talked about it while they had still been in Gongaga. Enjoy the quiet mountain area for a bit before moving on.

Jessie certainly didn't mind.

She was just a bit sad they couldn't make a stop at Cosmo Canyon on their way here. _But we can always do that on our way back,_ Jessie thought to herself.

"So need some help?" Jessie pointed at the sacks of coal still on the back of the truck.

"Nah." He shook his head. "Goin' to have a word with the mayor before."

"Alright," Jessie said.

"Thank you for taking us this far," Cissnei added with a smile.

"Don't mention it," Barret said with a broad grin. The two of them exchanged a quick goodbye with the man before heading towards the town center.

The first thing that Jessie noticed was the large water tower in the middle, the windmill attached to it lazily spinning in the wind. A few people were out and about, talking with each other and occasionally looking at the two new arrivals with a hint of curiosity.

"This is it," Cissnei said from right next to her, pointing at a two story building to their left, a sign reading _Inn_ appropriately serving as an indicator.

The inside of the building, just like the outside, was completely rustic, reminding her just a tiny bit of the place Biggs, Wedge and her had shared in Kalm. Two carpets were laid out on the well worn wooden floor and in front of them was the counter with a guestbook and a small bell.

But before either of them could ring it a voice called from the back. "Just a second!"

It was a surprisingly young voice that was soon followed by a girl that was just slightly younger than herself, long dark hair flowing past her shoulders and down her back. She wore a blue patterned dress that went to her mid thigh and gave a nice view of her already considerable chest.

The girl greeted them with a smile on her rosy lips, a twinkle in her exotically red eyes. "Hi, I'm guessing you two are planning on staying here?"

"That was the plan," Jessie replied with a grin.

"Alright, that'll be 70 Gil per night and—" the girl looked around, lifted the guestbook, then released a sigh. "Now where did I put that pen…?"

Jessie shared a look of amusement with Cissnei as the girl searched the pen. She turned to look at the photos hanging on the wall near the stairs, each a nice panorama shot.

"You seem rather young for someone owning an inn," her girlfriend commented.

"Oh I'm not the owner. I'm just taking care of the place for a time while the owner and his wife are out," the girl replied. "I'm actually the resident mountain guide, you see."

"So that means you're the one to ask if we want to travel across the mountain?" Jessie asked.

"Yup, that's ri—aha! There you are!" the girl rose from behind the counter holding an old looking fountain pen in her hand. She gave the two of them a triumphant smile. "70 Gil per night and meals are all inclusive."

"Holy crap, that's a steal!" Jessie exclaimed, walking back towards the counter.

The girl shrugged and handed Jessie the pen, who proceeded to write her name on it, before handing it to Cissnei. "Are you going to share a room?"

"Yes," Cissnei replied before Jessie could, causing her to chuckle.

"Like the lady said. I'm Jessie by the way, this is Cissnei," she introduced them.

"Nice to meet ya!" the girl said. "I'm Tifa. Welcome to Nibelheim!"

After having signed their names, Tifa led the two of them upstairs and into their room. "If you've got any questions, I'll be downstairs."

The younger girl left the room, closing the door behind her, and Jessie took a look around while Cissnei moved over to the window. A chuckle escaped her when she noticed that there were two beds.

_Yup,_ _definitely a rural town,_ she thought and started to unpack their things. They probably would have to move them together before going to bed. After putting their things into the offered wardrobe, she walked over to one of the beds and lied down on it.

The entire time Cissnei hadn't moved away from the window even for a second.

"Seeing something interesting?" Jessie asked.

"Just getting a feel for the town," Cissnei replied. "Looks like you could actually get a little lost here. The outskirts of town actually extend well into the valley."

"Planning on taking a little walk?"

Cissnei hummed. "Perhaps later."

Jessie stifled a yawn before placing her hands behind her head and closing her eyes. "Well, I think little Jessie is going to take a cat nap in the meantime."

She heard her girlfriend release a small chuckle. "Sure."

With another yawn, Jessie turned to her side. Truth be told she was actually pretty beat from drive here. Maybe it was because of the clean air of the area. Regardless of the reason, she soon felt herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

Cissnei's eyes were trained on the outside, keeping watch for any trace; the small of hints that Zack Fair might be amongst these people.

But all she found were ordinary people going about their days, walking and talking. Just your everyday activities in a place like this.

Behind her she could hear the soft breathing of Jessie that told her she was well and truly asleep and she released a sigh.

Time to go on that note _walk_. Turning around, she stepped up to the bed her girlfriend was sleeping on and frowned. She didn't like to keep this from Jessie, but it was for the better that she didn't know.

Besides, if everything worked out, Cissnei would find out what she wanted, Jessie would be none the wiser and they would move on afterwards.

After looking at Jessie for another moment, Cissnei turned on her heel and headed out of the town in search of what she was looking for.

Downstairs she found Tifa about to head into the back. "Going out?"

"Yes. Jessie is sleeping right now." Cissnei replied in a friendly tone. "So I figured I could stretch my legs a little."

"I'll start preparing dinner soon, so don't go wandering around too far."

"I'll remember that." She gave the girl a little grin, before leaving the hotel. Once she had stepped outside, Cissnei started her investigation by walking around and simply talking with some of the residents. Nothing serious, just a little small talk with a traveler that wanted to know a bit more about their village.

People in the countryside had the habit of becoming suspicious if you inquired too deeply so she had to be delicate about the whole thing.

Sadly it also meant she didn't learn anything of note just yet, but at least nobody seemed to think it strange to see her wandering around.

One thing everyone seemed to agree on though was not to go up the mountain without a guide, as the entire thing was a veritable maze.

Cissnei walked a bit further, leaving the main plaza and its huge water tower behind to get a better bearing of her surroundings and to see what else she might dig up. She could be running into Zack just like that. Stranger things had happened before, really.

Alas, there was no Zack to be found, but she did find something else that was interesting. A few feet away from her there was what looked like a store and in front of it a large assortment of flowers. They looked a bit out of place since the town itself was a bit more on the dustier side, no doubt an after effect of the nearby Mako reactor that had drained the land for years.

Or so she thought.

A young woman walked out of the store, a smile on her lips as she hummed to herself while checked on the flowers, her long brown braid swaying with every motion she did.

Cissnei's eyes widened in momentary shock at the sight of her and only barely managed to hide herself behind another house as the other woman turned to look her way.

It was Aerith Gainsborough. The Ancient that had gone missing who also happened to be Zack's girlfriend.

_Did he take_ _her_ _away from Midgar?_ She asked herself. How did he do that? There was always someone that kept a watch out for her.

Only that one time when they didn't and she seemingly slipped away. Tseng had thought the worst and had gotten hell for losing such a _valuable asset_ under his watch.

And here she was, selling flowers in a rural town so far away from Midgar it might as well be another world entirely. With a frown, Cissnei spied around the corner to watch Aerith as she finished up checking on the flowers, nodding a few times as if talking to herself before returning back inside.

She released a breath she didn't know she was holding and came out of hiding.

_Zack is here, so is Aerith..._

This puzzle just got more and more confusing by the minute. At this point she wouldn't be surprised to find Sephiroth here as well, tilling some fields.

As small scoff escaped her at the thought of the former general doing something so absolutely mundane.

Making sure that nobody saw her, Cissnei turned around and returned back to the town center where the people that had been going about their daily business were all gone now, most likely back home making dinner.

Did they even know who was living amongst them?

Probably not, and she supposed that it really didn't matter. With Shinra gone she was, well, not really ordinary per se, but she could simply live her life however she wanted now.

Cissnei shook her head. She had to find Zack and get some answers out of him. And with Aerith being here she actually had a lead now. And it was much easier to ask about the flower shop than to ask for Zack directly too.

As she walked up to the inn, Cissnei tried her best to dispel the frown on her face, replacing it with an easy smile instead while she placed her hand on top of the door handle. She took a few deep breaths, before opening the door and stepping inside.

_I'll find you, Zack..._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The next morning found Jessie in high spirits as she headed down the stairs. She hadn't slept as well like this since...she didn't really know. Even during her time in Costa del Sol, where sleep had come so much easier to her, she hadn't been this rested.

Downstairs she found Cissnei sitting at one of the guest tables, absentmindedly chewing on a piece of toast and looking off into space. With a small grin, Jessie walked over to her and planted a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, causing her to jump a little.

"Morning," Jessie said teasingly after Cissnei realized that it was her.

"Good Morning," Cissnei replied. "Sorry I guess I was—"

"Off in your own little world?" Jessie finished.

Her girlfriend chuckled. "Something like that."

"Mmh, I hope it included me. Perhaps with a little less clothes?" she asked in a flirty tone.

"Well well." Cissnei tilted her head to the side with that pretty smile of hers. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them turn their heads. Tifa.

"Mornin'!" she greeted Jessie. "Slept well?"

"Damn straight! I bet it was because of your delicious cooking." Jessie grinned and gave her a little wink.

"Aww, now you're flattering me. But that won't get you anywhere with me," Tifa playfully chided her before putting a plate with toast, eggs and bacon in front of her. "Here's your breakfast. Coffee?"

"Yes, please," she replied, taking the cutlery and starting to dig in. Cissnei watched her with clear amusement in her eyes."

"Well someone's hungry," her girlfriend commented.

"You bet. Must be the clean mountain air."

"It beats the smell of Midgar and Junon," Cissnei agreed.

"You're from the eastern continent?" Tifa asked, returned with a cup of coffee that she placed on the table.

"Yup." She took the cup and inhaled the strong, yet pleasant aroma of the brew, before taking a sip.

"Then this must feel like a whole different world to you." Tifa grinned.

"It has its charme," Jessie said. "We've also lived in Costa del Sol for a time."

"Ah, I always wanted to visit that place. Is it really as pretty as people say?"

"Clear skies, the sun shining down on you and the wide open sea. Perfect to relax."

Tifa let out a sigh as if someone had just told her from paradise. "Guess I'll ask him to spend some time with me there one day. Maybe during summer."

"Boyfriend?" Jessie asked as Tifa walked back into the kitchen.

The younger woman chuckled and looked over her shoulder at them. "Husband, actually."

_Husband!? She's already married!?_ Jessie turned to look at her girlfriend, who just gave her a shrug.

"Different customs," was all she said before going back to her own breakfast.

Once Jessie was done with her own, she rose to her feet and stretched a little. "Hope you don't mind, but today is my turn to explore a bit on my own."

"No no, go ahead," Cissnei said, raising the cup of coffee, that she had asked Tifa to refill, to her lips. "Don't get lost though."

"Hehe." Jessie leaned down to give her another kiss on the cheek. "See you later."

After saying those words, she left. Once outside she made a beeline towards one of the locals, a woman tending to some potted plants in front of her house.

"Excuse me?" Jessie asked.

"Hmm?" the woman looked up from her work, brushing some of her blonde hair out of her face. "Yes?"

"I heard there was a flower shop in town. Could you perhaps tell me where it's located?"

"Oh, sure," the woman replied with a friendly smile, before pointing down the path on the right. "Just straight down that way. You can't really miss it."

Jessie clapped her hands together. "Thank you!"

With a little skip in her step, she headed down that way. She had heard about it yesterday during dinner.

" _By the way, I happened across a beautiful flower shop earlier. Would you happen to know who owns it?"_ Cissnei had asked Tifa.

" _Oh that's Aerith, my neighbor. She's still relatively new in Nibelheim."_

" _Neighbor, huh? Now that's interesting,"_ her girlfriend had commented with a smile.

" _Our houses were built right next to each other,"_ Tifa said with a light shrug.

Jessie hadn't really paid much attention to the conversation from then on, but an idea had sprouted inside her mind later that evening and for that she needed to find that place.

And indeed she couldn't miss it at all, since it was the only building with various assortments of flowers at the front. A young woman stood there, frowning down on a small cart next to her, one of its wooden wheels having come off.

"Great and what now?" Jessie heard her mutter as she stepped close.

"Hi!" Jessie greeted her in a friendly tone.

"Mmh..." the woman hummed, then blinked and turned to look at her in surprise. "Oh! I'm sorry. Hello!"

"Seems like ya got a problem here," Jessie said and knelt down to take a closer look.

"Yeah." The flower girl nodded and knelt down as well to pick up a hammer. "I tried to fix it but I'm horribly inept when it comes to stuff like this."

"Well, thankfully this pretty stranger here knows how to handle tools." Jessie pointed a thumb at herself with a grin. "I can give it a try if you want."

"Hmm." The other woman tilted her head in thought, before curling her lips into a small grin of her own and handing her the hammer. "Sure!"

"Got any nails?" the flower girl lifted a small box of them from behind the cart. Jessie took those as well and started to get to work. Thankfully it didn't seem too bad so it wouldn't take her long.

"I'm Aerith by the way," she introduced herself while Jessie hammered.

"I'm Jessie."

Aerith giggled. "And now we're no longer strangers. Only pretty."

Jessie stifled a laugh. She could tell this girl was fun.

"So who built this for you anyway, since this clearly isn't your forte?" Jessie asked while putting the final touches on it.

"My fiancé," Aerith replied.

"Tell your fiancé he's a nice guy, but his work is really shoddy."

The brunette giggled again. "I actually told him it looked butt ugly when he gave it to me."

"Try moving it," Jessie said. Aerith grabbed onto the handle and moved it back and forth. "There, that oughta do it!"

"My hero!" Aerith said with a playful flutter of her eyelids. "But now I owe you something, don't I?"

"How about some flowers then?"

"Sure!" Aerith turned to fully look at her, a hand moving to rub her chin. "Let me guess...for a sweetheart?"

"I'm impressed. That's a good guess."

"Let's say I have a bit of a sixth sense in that regard. So which do you want?" Jessie walked over to the little stands in front of the store where Aerith showed her the various flowers and told her their meaning.

"What do these mean?" Jessie asked while pointing at the yellow flowers.

"Those symbolize 'reunion', always very popular to give someone you care about after meeting them again after a while."

"Hmm, doesn't really apply here since we're always together..."

"How about these?" Aerith pointed at a couple of magenta ones. "They symbolize lasting affection."

"Yeah. Those sound perfect."

"Alrighty, just gimme a sec."

Jessie took a step back to let the other woman do her work, carefully picking a few flowers and wrapping then up in a little bouquet.

"Here you are," Aerith said and handed the flowers to her.

"Thanks," Jessie replied with a smile that Aerith returned with one of her own. It soon vanished though and was replaced with a look of interest in her deep, green eyes.

"That's a very pretty seashell..." she said, reaching out to brush her fingers across the shell hanging around her neck.

"I suppose?" Jessie shrugged. "I found it one night at the beach."

"Take good care of it. I heard they bring good fortune." Aerith gave her a wink, then walked over to the cart. "Now then, I need to get some supplies. Why don't you keep me some company?"

"Sure. I need to head into that direction anyway."

* * *

Cissnei released a breath as she followed behind Tifa, far enough to not be seen by the young woman, but still close enough to not lose her, always keeping herself hidden from any prying eyes.

Soon after Jessie had left, Tifa had excused herself saying that she had something to take care of at home and asked her if it was alright to leave her alone for a bit. Cissnei, of course, did not have any objections.

Quite the opposite in fact.

She felt a little bad to take advantage of Tifa here, but she had to follow any lead that could help her find Zack.

Tifa led her down a path that had split off from the main road through town, leading towards a small area that was situated more towards the edge of town, near the forest. It didn't take long before two houses, built like the rest of Nibelheim with wood and stone and each having a yard to itself.

The various colorful flowers told her precisely in which house the Ancient was living in.

Cissnei hid behind a nearby tree, waiting for Tifa to step into her home, before sneaking towards the other house. She went around it, to scout out if anyone was home. It wasn't just Aerith that had vanished back then, but her guardian as well, and with one here the other couldn't be far either.

But no sign of the older woman anywhere. Good.

The lock of the front door was a simple one and Cissnei had it unlocked in a matter of seconds. She slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind her, listening for any sound that might come from upstairs.

All clear it seems, Cissnei thought to herself and looked around the ground floor, nothing really of note, a living room and a kitchen, the latter having a rustic charm that fit well with the rest of the area. She then moved upstairs where the bedrooms were located. The first one she inspected turned out to be a dud, obviously belonging to Mrs. Gainsborough with all the childhood photos of the woman and Aerith together decorating the place.

She picked one up to look at it closer. Aerith must have been around 10 at the time and had a huge grin on her face while the older woman was hugging her from behind with a smile.

The corners of her lips quirked upward a little before releasing a sigh and placing the picture back.

Shinra had always loomed over her like a shadow, seeing her largely as only an asset to their goals because of her special heritage. Only Tseng seemed to have thought differently of her. Did it have to do with his friendship with Zack?

And now...now she was free of Shinra's shackles. Free to spread her wings. Unconsciously, a hand brushed over the wing tattoo on her right shoulder.

_Like me..._

Moving her gaze across the room one last time, Cissnei left and headed over to the only other room up here.

Unlike the other room, this one had a queen sized bed big enough for two. She didn't waste any time to look around.

Jackpot, she thought as she opened the wardrobe and saw men's clothes next to nice looking female ones. Closing it again, she walked over to a nearby nightstand and picked up a picture resting on it.

Her eyes scanned the four people on it. At this point she wasn't surprised to see Zack and Aerith standing there, the flower girl resting her head against the SOLDIER's arm, and neither did the sight of Tifa, who was wearing a rather interesting looking gown and a flower crown on her head. But what did surprise her was the other young man standing right next to her.

Cloud Strife. The Shinra Trooper that had been sent here on the mission.

Cissnei had seen his photo in a dossier before, and he stood out well enough with his hair that she was absolutely sure it was him.

And from the way it looked like he was that mysterious husband of Tifa's that she was talking about. Interesting.

She placed the picture back on the nightstand. That was more than enough.

Doing one final swoop of the room, Cissnei opened the door and slipped out, silently making her way to the front door and leaving the house. She looked over to the other house, where she could see Tifa still doing something inside.

_Cue to leave_ , Cissnei thought and sneaked off, heading back the same path that she had come from.

Now that she knew where Zack was hiding it was only a matter of finding him. Knowing him and how loud he was, he shouldn't be too hard to find now.

She was almost back at the main road when a sound made her stop. It almost sounded like...clicking?

Cissnei whirled around when the sound suddenly came from behind her, scanning the area for any movement but found none and soon after the sound vanished entirely, leaving her with a strange feeling pooling in her gut.

A local monster perhaps?

She remained where she was for a moment, before slowly turning around—

"Hello!"

—and nearly jumped out of her skin as she came face to face with no other than Aerith herself, who had a friendly grin on her face. Next to her stood a little cart, filled with empty terracotta pots and a flower or two.

"Oh, uh, hello," Cissnei greeted back, trying to regain her composure. She hadn't even heard her approach.

"Taking a look around?" the flower girl asked.

"...Yeah." Cissnei nodded.

"I did that too during my first days here." Aerith clapped her hands together. "Nibelheim's an interesting place, let me tell you.

"But it's real peaceful, too! So, try and enjoy your stay." She gave Cissnei a pointed look, with a small teasing glint in her eyes as she took the handles of the cart once more. "See you around!"

More confused than anything, she watched Aerith push the cart forward, heading down the path towards her home. Her eyes remained focused on the other woman until she was well out of sight.

Cissnei breathed through her nose, then shook her head, before resuming her walk back towards the inn.

Back there, she made her way up the stairs into the room that she shared with Jessie. She halted in her tracks after stepping inside, her mouth going slightly agape at what was lying on her side of the pushed together beds.

A small bouquet of magenta zinnias.

Next to it she spotted a small note, written in familiar handwriting.

_I actually wanted to give them to you in person, but this makes for a better surprise. A small present that I hope you enjoy._

_\- Jessie._

A smile formed on her lips at the small heart next to her girlfriend's name. She gently took hold of the flowers, lifting them up to her face to inhale their scent.

She had to find Zack and get the story out of him ASAP so she could focus on what was important again.

Cissnei was just taking another whiff of the flowers when she heard a familiar voice that made her almost drop them to the floor coming from outside.

"Man, thanks a bunch. If I hadn't met you I'd still be on my way tonight."

"I told you a couple of times to take your Chocobo with you."

"You know that mine gets easily scared of the critters around here, Cloud."

Zack Fair.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Cissnei felt herself rooted to the ground as she finally heard Zack's voice again after so long, palms sweaty and ears straining to follow the conversation. Her heart beat like a drum.

This was real. She wasn't dreaming.

She listened to the two young men as they conversed and lightly teased one another as good friends did.

"Man, I could eat an entire Chocobo right now," she heard Zack say after a while, followed by a startled "Kweh!"

"Hey!" Cloud chided him. "Shh, don't listen to him. No Chocobo for this dumbass."

"Hey, who's a dumbass!?"

Their voices grew distant after that, and Cissnei knew it was now or never. Willing her body to follow her orders once more, she charged towards the door, throwing it open to make her way downstairs only for her to bump into Jessie.

"Whoa!" her girlfriend exclaimed, falling down onto her butt. Cissnei's eyes widened in surprise, and she stood there for a few seconds as a battle raged inside her mind over following Zack or helping Jessie. In the end she went with her instinct, kneeling down next to the other woman.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," she said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Jessie nodded and accepted the hand she was offering to help her up. A teasing smile formed on her girlfriend's lips. "Bathroom calling?"

"Wha—" Cissnei blinked in surprise, a momentary stupor setting it at Jessie's question, before she found herself nodding even though it made her feel a bit dumb.

Jessie's eyebrows shot up and that smile only widened. She stepped to the side and did as small flourish. "Well don't let me stop you. Ah, but—" she gently took the flower bouquet that Cissnei was still holding. "I think those are better put elsewhere. Like them?"

"Love them," Cissnei responded immediately and she felt her face flush upon the embarrassment of the entire situation.

"Well, move along. You can tell me how much you love them after you take care of business." Giving Cissnei a wink, Jessie walked past her and into their room.

You could still catch them if you're fast enough, the Turk inside her said, but she only shook her head and instead headed to the bathroom, if only to pretend, sitting down on the toilet lid and covering her face with both of her hands.

A wave of shame went through her entire body. She could have hurt Jessie just because tunnel vision had set in when she had heard his voice. Taking a few deep breaths, Cissnei rose to her feet and walked over to the sink. After splashing her face with some water she looked at herself in the mirror.

_Aren't you a professional?_ she asked herself. _You need to be calm about this._

He was in town now, but he didn't know about her. She was the one holding the advantage. There was no need to rush.

_Tomorrow. You know where he lives. Easy enough to ambush him._

Yeah, that's what she would do.

She splashed her face one more time, then used one of the provided towels to dry herself before returning to their room. Inside she found Jessie placing the flowers into a vase that hadn't been there before. A small smile formed on her lips as Cissnei watched her. Jessie didn't seem to have noticed her entry and she couldn't resist the urge to silently creep up behind her to circle her arms around her waist in a light hug.

Her girlfriend jumped for a second, but soon after relaxed at her familiar presence.

"Business taken care of?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Not really, Cissnei thought but still had to chuckle. "Yeah."

Jessie turned around, a smug look on her face. "So I seem to recall a certain someone saying she loved the flowers I gave her. Now the question is: how much?"

Instead of answering with words, Cissnei answered her with a kiss that Jessie eagerly returned. They lingered for a few seconds before separating again.

"Good enough?"

Jessie hummed. "I'd like seconds though."

"Glutton," Cissnei replied and pulled her back in.

It wouldn't hurt to spend a day with just Jessie.

* * *

One of the first things in Turk training that she learned was to set her internal clock to what time she wanted to wake up at. It was a handy little skill, and not only because she saved money on not buying an alarm clock.

Turning around, she saw Jessie still blissfully asleep, then slipped out of bed and got dressed. After that she wrote a little note saying she was out on a morning run, something that she actually did quite a bit in their stay in Costa del Sol, so it wouldn't make Jessie ask why she was out.

Leaving the hotel, Cissnei made her way towards the path leading to Zack's home and hid herself behind some trees.

Now the waiting would start.

Observations were another routine that she had mastered rather early. Veldt himself had taught her how to effectively keep her mind busy enough to not lose concentration even during longer periods.

Simple math games, memorizing traveling routes, or even something as simple as counting Triple Triad cards could help to focus one's mind for the task.

And it looked like she would need those tricks today as even in his new mundane life it seemed that Zack still hasn't become an early riser. Keeping herself well hidden, she watched as Tifa was the first to pass her by, no doubt to prepare their breakfast, soon followed by her husband who was carrying a bag slung over his shoulder. Some time after that Aerith and her foster mother walked by as well, eagerly talking to one another and sharing a laugh at Zack's expense. She actually had to keep herself from joining in laughter.

It was by the time that she finished her third match of mental Triple Triad that she picked up a certain Ex-SOLDIERs voice, humming some song that had been popular quite a while ago. Soon after he stepped into view, wearing a white short sleeved shirt and a pair of dark trousers kept in place by suspenders, an outfit that seemed alien and yet very fitting on him. Over his shoulder he had slung a simple fishing rod.

_Now or never,_ she thought and stepped out from behind the trees just as he passed her.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" she called out to him.

Zack halted in his tracks, standing there paralyzed, before turning around slowly. His Mako tinted eyes were wide in shock and the fishing rod he was holding clattered to the ground.

"Cissnei..."

"Zack," she replied.

"What...are you doing here?" he asked, wariness now entering his voice. "Did someone send you to look for me?"

"No. I came here hoping to find you, amongst other things." Her nostrils flared as she looked him up and down, then straight in the eye. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Huh?"

"Your wedding."

"Oh, right. Uh, thanks." He blinked before he narrowed his eyes. "Who told you about that?"

"Your parents. I paid them a visit to check up on them. They told me you were planning on getting married soon. They told me to tell you they're going to be here for the ceremony."

Zack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Why? Why come here?"

"Believe it or not, it was an accident. I'm actually on a little vacation with my girlfriend." She crossed her arms underneath her chest. "I should be asking why you're here. The company looked everywhere for you and Sephiroth. We thought you deserted."

"In a way, I did. It's complicated." He looked down to the ground, hands placed on his hips.

"Then explain it! I need answers, dammit!" She took a few steps towards him, not able to keep the heat out of her voice anymore. "Why did you vanish without a trace!? Why let your friends think you might be dead!?"

"Cissnei, I—"

"Shut up! Don't you even dare apologize! You abandoned everyone you knew...It's like we're strangers." Biting her lip, she turned her gaze away, cursing herself for getting so emotional. Jessie was rubbing off on her. "...You didn't even tell me or Kunsel you were getting married..."

A strangled sound escaped him and she knew that those words probably hurt him more than any damage her weapon might have done to him.

Silence set over them, and Cissnei kept her gaze focused on the dusty ground underneath her feet. After a moment, Zack approached her, placing one of his hands on her shoulder. She tried shrugging it off, but he was obviously stronger than her.

"I—listen—it's not easy to explain. Can you give me some time?"

"How long?" she asked.

"Tomorrow night. I have a few things to take care of."

Releasing a sigh, Cissnei slowly lifted her gaze to look him in the eye. "Alright. Tomorrow night."

Zack nodded, the corners of his lips quirking upward in that friendly smile she knew. "...Guess you've been snooping around town, huh?"

"Not _that_ much," she admitted.

He let out a short grunt. "Not much to find, anyway."

She gave him a disbelieving stare. "I bet."

The hand on her shoulder removed itself to rub the back of his neck. "It's better you don't. Some of the buildings, like the Shinra mansion, aren't in the best of shape."

"I see."

Zack released a little sigh and walked back to pick up the fishing rod. "Tomorrow evening after sundown. I'll let you know where we meet, okay?"

"Okay," Cissnei agreed.

He raised his hand in a little wave. "See you then. And Cissnei?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're alright."

She watched him walk away, a small frown on her face. After he was out of sight she turned to look at the biggest building in town, far in the distance.

_Shinra mansion, huh?_

Perhaps she could find something there.

* * *

"And then Wedge ate five whole pizzas. I know the guys love my mom's food, but holy crap I have no idea where he puts it. He's already fat as it is!"

Next to her, Tifa burst into giggles, while Aerith was grinning.

"Sounds pretty amazing!" the flower girl said, then raised a finger. "Now I want to see him and Zack tackle a food challenge just to see who can manage more!"

"I can write a letter of challenge to him," Jessie offered jokingly.

"Great. Tifa, you're going to cook," Aerith said to the other woman sitting with them.

"Please no, I don't think I'll be able to keep up."

"We can do it together! I'll show ya how make a Midgar special," Jessie offered with a wink. "Actually, I bet the town would love pizza."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Everybody loves pizza!"

"Mmh, it's been so long since I had one," Aerith lamented. "There's just something else about that greasy cheese dripping onto your chin."

"I've never had one," Tifa in turn lamented. "Are they really that good?"

Jessie nodded. "It's party food and comfort food. All in one!"

The door opened and another voice joined their conversation.

"Did I hear something about food?"

"Cloud!" Tifa smiled and rose to her feet to walk over to the young man and greet him with a deep kiss that made Jessie look away in slight embarrassment. He was obviously her husband.

_Jeeze, get a room you two._

Was it getting a little hot in here?

Jessie looked over to Aerith, who watched the young couple in obvious amusement and sent her a grin.

After the two had finally managed to let go of one another, they joined Aerith and her at the table they were sitting at.

"Lunch should be ready soon," Tifa said to Cloud, who looked a bit disappointed at the news. "This is Jessie, by the way. One our guests."

"We kinda met already," Cloud said. If walking past two handsome strangers and giving them a playful wink could be counted as meeting. "Name's Cloud."

"So I've heard," Jessie replied, resting her chin on her palm. "Nice to really meetcha!"

"We were just discussing pizza," Aerith said and she could see a look that could only be described as nostalgia enter his eyes.

"Been a while..." he murmured.

"See? Another one," Jessie said to Tifa.

"Guess I really do need to try it then."

"I could write my mother to send you some of her recipes," Jessie offered. "Ah, but is there even a post office around here?"

"You're talking with it," Cloud said casually.

"What? Really?" She blinked.

"Mhm. I'm a courier. I can get your letter to where it needs to be to reach your mother."

"Haa, that's pretty cool."

"I guess?" Cloud shrugged, a faint, smug smirk tugging his lips.

All of a sudden a sputtering sound came from out back, followed by the sound of the fridge shutting off for a moment before turning on once again, making Tifa groan out. "Not again..."

"What's wrong?" Jessie asked, her technical inclined mind immediately trying to figure out what the problem might be.

"The steam generator has been acting up for a while now, and I can't seem to find what's wrong with it."

"Maybe Jessie can check it out," Aerith said. "She managed to fix my cart."

Jessie nodded. "Sure. I just need some tools. Ain't nothing I can't fix!"

"There are some in the back. Wait a sec." Tifa left to head into the back and returned with a toolbox that she handed Jessie.

"I'll help you," Cloud said.

"Sure. Maybe you can learn something," Jessie replied with a grin before heading out. The two of them walked around the building, where they found the old timey steam generator.

After shutting it off, she opened the hatch to let it cool off enough for her to take a look. It was an interesting construct, using a mixture of materia and technology from way back when Shinra had taken their first step into providing electrical power but hadn't discovered Mako yet.

Fire materia to keep the coal simmering and provide the steam to make the pistons move, which in turn created electricity. Not the most efficient way, but it was doing its job.

"Hmm. Pistons looking good, maybe could use a little greasing...Aha!"

"What is it?" Cloud asked, kneeling down next to her.

"The materia slot there. It's kinda loose." She reached inside with a screwdriver and gently hit the tip against it, making it jostle a bit. "See? My guess is it's not generating as much heat as it should because of that."

"Think you can fix it?"

Jessie sent him a smirk. "Just watch."

The best part about this old tech was that it was simple, so it didn't take her long to fix the materia slot the way it should be, and while she was at it she greased the pistons as well to avoid any issues in the near future.

"There you go!" Jessie gave the generator a small pat before turning it on again. From the sound alone she could tell that it was running much more smoothly now.

"Impressive," Cloud complimented her.

"I managed to get a 1st generation Sweeper back up and running. _That_ was impressive. If you want I could take a look at the old car near the town's gate," Jessie offered.

"Nah, that's alright. It being like that is almost a local landmark now," Cloud replied with a chuckle. "But as a matter of fact, there are probably some people that could use your help."

"Sure, no problem. After lunch, that is."

"Of course."

* * *

It was early evening by the time she returned from their little excursion. She had first started helping Cloud's mother, who amusingly was called Claudia, with her old bicycle and from there it kind of escalated into hearing about more and more people needing stuff fixed.

Not that she minded too much; she liked it.

"Man, you just showed up and you're an asset to the town..." Cloud said as they walked back to the inn.

"Well I wouldn't go that far. I just enjoy fixing shit. It runs in the family, so to speak."

"Heh, I see."

The two entered the building and were immediately greeted by Tifa, who didn't waste any time pulling Cloud into a kiss that was even deeper than the one before, making Jessie avert her eyes. People in Nibelheim seemed to be uncharacteristically affectionate for such a rural area. A lot of the couples she had seen today had been like that, some even getting a little bit handsy.

Jessie had to admit that it affected her a little.

Excusing herself, she headed upstairs, Tifa's giggles being the only response she received, and entered the bathroom to get cleaned up. As she lay in the bathtub, Jessie's mind went back to the last time Cissnei and her had sex. It had been a while.

And seeing all these people today, especially Cloud and Tifa, who she had no illusions of not going to fuck as soon as they got home, stirred her desires little by little, like droplets of water filling a bucket until heat was pooling deep inside her.

After getting out of the water, she dried herself, bound the towel around her body and put her clothes into the washing bin for Tifa to take care of.

Back inside their room, she found Cissnei sitting on the bed, dressed in casual sleepwear and reading a book. Her girlfriend noticed her entrance and turned to look at her with that small smile of hers that never failed to attract her.

A sort of fog set itself over her mind as she started to walk over towards her, the heat inside her growing further and further until even the towel she was wearing seemed to be too much, so she dropped it to the ground.

Cissnei looked at her in surprise, but that was soon replaced by obvious desire that made Jessie's heart leap. Sitting down next to her, she moved to cup the other woman's cheek, looking her deep in the eyes while taking the book away with her other hand.

"Jessie?"

"Hey there, cinnamon bun," Jessie replied and crashed her lips against Cissnei's. Her girlfriend squirmed for a moment as she pushed her tongue past those pretty lips, but soon relaxed and joined in.

The book in her hand was carelessly thrown to the side as she lowered the other woman onto the mattress.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

She was lying on her back, eyes facing the ceiling and her skin still glistening with sweat. Next to her she could hear Jessie's even breath, telling her that she was deeply asleep now.

Truth be told, Cissnei was also quite beat from the passionate rounds of sex they've had. She didn't really know what overcame them. As soon as her girlfriend had dropped the towel it was like a switch inside her had been flipped and she found herself unable to resist.

It had been good. _Very_ good, in fact. And rough.

Much rougher than Jessie usually was.

It was unlike her, yet the thought of it sent another wave of desire through her body.

Cissnei turned to face Jessie's sleeping form, reaching out to brush some of her hair aside to look into her peaceful face for a few more moments. A part of her just wanted to remain here, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she checked this one lead.

So against her own desires, she got out of bed and dressed herself, then walked over to her backpack and pulled out a flashlight. She looked over her shoulder to make sure that Jessie was still asleep, before turning the backpack around and opening a hidden compartment where she stored her Shuriken. It wasn't like she expected trouble, but it was better to be safe than sorry in case a monster actually ventured into town.

Having gathered all she needed, she sneaked out of their room and left the hotel. Once outside, she turned to the left and followed the path towards where she knew the Shinra mansion was located.

She was surprised that there were still lights on in some of the homes that she passed by. Sounds came from them that she couldn't properly make out, and if she didn't know any better it sounded like moaning.

While she walked, she could feel the sweat on her arms returning as the air seemed to grow heavy and warm. A sound from the left made her whirl towards the source, but there was nothing.

 _What's going on?_ she wondered, looking in every direction. Why did she feel like she was being watched?

The trees rustled in the distance, the sound mixing with the buzzing in the back of her head, telling her that she should be in bed; _that's a bad guest_.

_Bad, naughty guest!_

Cissnei shook her head violently, and whatever it was, it was gone again, leaving her only with the silence of the night and the sounds of the town further back as she stood in front of the old Shinra mansion. Her heart hammered inside her chest and a cold shiver ran down her spine.

 _What in the hell?_ she thought, looking around, gripping her Shuriken tightly. Nobody there.

Running her tongue over her now dry lips, Cissnei swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before turning to the large wooden doors and stepping inside.

_Skritch skritch skritch_

Inside, Cissnei pulled out her flashlight, turned it on and immediately started her search. Like Zack had told her, the place had clearly seen better days, broken floorboards and cobwebs adorning pretty much every room.

She had heard the Shinra mansion had a hidden basement, something that was on a need to know basis, but wasn't entirely sure where exactly it was located.

The ground floor had been a bust, so she headed upstairs, where she eventually managed to find the entrance in one of the rightmost bedrooms.

Turning the hidden lever, the wall slowly slid open to reveal staircase spiralling down well below ground. She made her way down the stairs and entered a large cavern leading straight ahead, a set of wooden doors separating it from the lab behind it.

As she walked, Cissnei took note of another door to her left, but otherwise didn't pay it much mind yet. She could check it afterwards.

Placing her hand on the door, she pushed it open to find...nothing.

There was nothing but a huge empty room.

 _What?_ Cissnei blinked in surprise and stepped inside, the sounds of her heels echoing through the chamber as she moved around. Turning the flashlight to the ground, she spotted a few marks on the stone floor and knelt down to inspect them closer. _Looks like something heavy had been dragged across here._

"You won't find anything here," a deep voice said from behind her. Cissnei immediately whirled around and swung her weapon at the intruder. Sparks flew as it was blocked by what looked like a brass claw, and she found herself staring into a set of dark red eyes that seemed to glow almost predatorily in the light of the lamp. "Hmm. General Affairs, I see."

"Who are you?" Cissnei demanded.

"Nobody that wants to harm you. You can lower your weapon," the stranger said matter of factly. She scanned him for a few seconds and, sensing no hostile intent, dropped her weapon back to her side. He looked at her evenly before walking back a few steps into the darkness.

A click sounded, followed by the lamps on the ceiling turning on.

Turning her flashlight off, Cissnei took in the person in front of her. Tall and lean, dressed completely in black aside from a red cloak and bandana, his long dark hair flowing freely down his back. "So what is a Turk doing here?"

"Who says I'm a Turk?"

He looked straight at her, his ghostly pale visage a mask of neutrality. "The way you stand while you fight gives it away."

"Fine. I was one. Not anymore," she told him.

"Shinra doesn't let their agents quit. Too much of a security risk."

Cissnei shook her head, her jaw tight. "Shinra doesn't exist anymore. It's gone."

His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Hm...Do you know a man named Hojo?"

 _The head of scientific research?_ "Not personally. But he's dead. Shinra Tower was crushed like a soda can. The only known executive to survive was Reeve Tuesti."

"I see." Cissnei could swear the corner of his lips were slightly curled up now. "Can't say they didn't have it coming. Shinra committed a great deal of sins. The place you're standing in saw quite a bit of human suffering."

"What do you mean?"

"Human experiments."

Cissnei frowned at his words. She couldn't really deny his accusations; the Turks alone had a whole lot of blood on their hands, and the SOLDIER project wasn't exactly created with care for humans in mind.

"Who...are you?"

"Vincent. And let's say I've been around to know Shinra well enough."

"So, what happened here?" Cissnei asked and looked around. "Did the company clean house?"

Vincent released something that might be mistaken as a chuckle. "No. This was the townsfolk. It happened while I was sleeping in my chamber."

She stared at him, waiting for him to continue, but he denied her. "Don't ask."

"Why? What do you mean?"

"What I mean is—" He walked a little towards her, eyes fixed on hers the entire time, never blinking once. "This town is different from others. It has its own secrets. Ones that did not align with Shinra."

He sized her up for a moment.

"Don't you feel it? That feeling in the air, like something wants to worm its way into your skull and wrap itself around your brain?" he tapped the side of his head. "That's their god. Awoken from his slumber. The land of Mt. Nibel is old and almost alien in nature, and it did not like what Shinra was doing here."

"Their god?" Cissnei asked in an unbelieving tone. Old local religions weren't exactly strange, but this?

But at the same time, she had experienced something on her way here, something that had just felt _wrong_.

"Over a year ago their god awoke again, I do not know how or why, but what I know is that ever since then the town has gone back to its old ways, praying to their fertility god that rules over the mountain," he explained. "If I were you, I would pack up and leave as soon as possible. You won't find anything here. The land itself hated Shinra enough to get rid of it all."

With that said, he turned around on his heels, the metal plates on his boots scraping on the ground as he did so, and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cissnei found herself asking.

"I'm leaving. Tonight is the perfect chance since the entire town is...distracted," he replied. "Good luck to you." He then stalked off with a bellow of his cape, vanishing in the darkness beyond the door.

Cissnei remained where she was for a while longer, mulling over what he had just told her.

 _An old mountain religion... fertility god..._ It all didn't make any sense, but something was strange about this town, she couldn't deny it. She breathed deeply, fingers gently rubbing her temple when her head started to pound as it tried to process all this.

She needed to get back to Jessie.

By the time she had left the mansion again, Cissnei felt utterly exhausted, every part of her being screaming out to get some rest. In the back of her mind she managed to make out the sounds of the town; their prayer to the one presiding over this land.

Cissnei made it back to the inn and up the stairs, locking the door behind her twice and keeping the key inside. In her fogged up mind, she barely managed to hide her weapon and undress once more before crawling back into bed next to Jessie.

She stared at her girlfriend, lying there peacefully as she slept, mumbling something that she couldn't understand at all. Slowly, she reached out to stroke her cheek, but as much as she tried she couldn't resist the call of sleep any longer and her eyes fell shut just shy of touching Jessie.

And she dreamt of a land, unclaimed and free, filled with goats and spiders.

* * *

With a groan, her eyes opened to the bright light of the sun shining in through the window. She stifled a yawn, turned around and found, much to her surprise, Cissnei lying next to her, very much asleep.

A smug smile formed on her lips; she must have tired her out quite a bit last night for her to be still out like a light.

She would tease her a little bit later.

Moving closer, she planted a small kiss on her girlfriend's shoulder then got out of bed. After grabbing a change of clothes, she headed into the bathroom to wash up.

Once done, she made her way downstairs, humming to herself while pulling her hair into her signature ponytail. She was greeted by Tifa, who seemed to be in quite a good mood as well.

"Someone's pretty cheerful," Jessie commented, causing the younger woman to blush a little and bite her lower lip. Seems like she was right in her assumption that Cloud and her would be getting some heavy alone time.

"So are you," Tifa countered.

"Mmh." She sent her a wink. "Guilty as charged."

"Breakfast?"

"Absolutely," Jessie replied and sat down at the table. Tifa went into the kitchen, only to shortly return with a nice breakfast of eggs and sausages and a cup of coffee.

"Interesting that you're up first for a change, and not Cissnei," Tifa remarked and sat down opposite of her.

"I might have worn her out just a little bit," Jessie said with a grin, taking a bite from one of the sausages. Tasty.

The two talked about this and that while Jessie enjoyed her meal. After she was done, she rose to her feet and stretched herself a little, causing her t-shirt to ride up her body just a little.

"That-that's an interesting tattoo," Tifa said as she picked up her plate, staring at the amber eye on her hip.

"Hmm? Oh, that. Yeah, I got it some time ago. Was a spontaneous decision."

"Really?" Tifa tilted her head a little. "It's an...interesting design, I have to say."

Jessie chuckled, running a finger over the tattoo. "You could say it came to me in a dream."

"I see..." Tifa lowered her gaze and started to pick up the cutlery. "Oh, before I forget. Aerith wanted to talk with you. Why don't you go by her store? Don't worry, I'll tell Cissnei where you went when she comes down."

 _Aerith wants to talk?_ Jessie wondered. _Let's see what she wants._

Leaving the inn, she headed to where Aerith's shop was located. She found the flower girl in front of it, inspecting every single flower for damage or signs of wilting.

"Hey," Jessie greeted her. "Tifa said you wanted to talk?"

"Hello!" Aerith gave her a bright smile and turned towards her, dusting off her hands a little. "That I do."

"Okay. What about?"

"Hmm." Aerith looked at her with a thoughtful expression on her face, before pointing at the shell hanging from her neck. "I wanted to know where you found it. It's so very pretty."

"Oh, is that all?" Jessie placed a hand on her hip. "Found it one night at Costa del Sol. Kinda by accident, nearly stepped on it."

"Ooooh, that wouldn't have been good."

"Yeah." A smile formed on Jessie's lips, and her other hand rose to gently grasp the shell. "It was actually the night Cissnei and I got together. She was the one that made it into a necklace sometime later. You know, as a reminder."

"Aww, how romantic. That makes it especially precious," Aerith said with a smile, before walking a few steps forward, her hands folded behind her back. "You know, I've never been to the beach before."

"Is that so?"

"Mmh." The flower girl nodded. "I grew up in the slums of Midgar."

"Ha! What a coincidence, I'm from Midgar, too. Uh, well, topside that is. But two of my friends grew up in the slums of Sector 5."

"No way! I'm from Sector 5, too!" Aerith exclaimed with an excited grin and clapped her hands together. "Now that's a coincidence!"

"Really? Funny we haven't run into each other in the past," Jessie replied.

"I would say that just makes it all the more special we've met now!"

Jessie released a chuckle. "I suppose."

"Anyway, thanks indulging me," Aerith said and turned back towards the flowers. "I should get back to work. See you around?"

"Sure!"

With a final wave, Jessie turned around and headed back. She had just made it back to the inn when she saw Tifa leave the building, a small basket hanging from her arm.

"Running an errand?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah. We're out of some ingredients for lunch, so I just wanted to head over to the morning market to buy them real quick," Tifa replied.

"Hmm, why don't I accompany you then?"

Tifa shook her head gently. "Oh, you don't have to, really."

"It's not like I have anything else to do right now," Jessie said with a shrug.

The corners of Tifa's lips curled into a small smile. "In that case, I'd love the company."

"Great! How about we also buy some additional stuff and I show you how to make pizza?"

"I, uh, i—if it's not a bother, then sure!" Tifa leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Cloud's been kinda bothering me about pizza since we've talked about it, to be honest."

They shared a little laugh.

"Well, after you, then."

The market was similar to the weekly market in Costa del Sol, wooden wagon full of produce and farmers from the area hawking their goods to the townsfolk. Tifa and Jessie walked around for a bit, looking at everything from grains to fruits, with Jessie pointing out whenever there was something she needed for Operation Pizza.

"You'll need some tomatoes..."

"...And that's for the sauce, right?" Tifa asked as she bought some.

"Yeah, but it can also be a topping and, umm, do you guys have any stretchy cheese?" Jessie made a motion with her hands, like she was pulling something apart. "Like, gooey when it warms up."

Tifa nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! We call it spider silk cheese. It's a popular snack."

"Interesting name."

"Because it's as smooth as silk when it melts on your tongue," Tifa explained.

They walked around some more when something caught Jessie's attention. "Oh, smoked sausages!"

"Can they go on a pizza too?"

"Anything can go on a pizza if you try." She thought about what she just said, and decided to correct herself. "But some things are definitely better than others."

By the time they were done, Tifa's basket was filled to the brim, and the younger woman was visibly excited. It was a little infectious, Jessie had to say.

"Alright," she said after they returned to the inn and entered the kitchen. "I may not be my mother, but I can make a pretty good pizza as well."

Tifa giggled and did a formal bow. "Please teach me your ways."

"Just watch!"

* * *

A satisfied sigh passed her lips as Jessie stepped outside again, her belly full and still warm from the delicious pizza that Tifa and her had made.

It was such a simple dish, but to her it was a symbol of home; of when things had been simple.

From inside, she could hear Tifa eagerly talking to her husband, whom they had picked as their designated taste tester together with Cissnei, who had finally come downstairs earlier.

The look on Cloud's face had been priceless, and she couldn't resist teasing him about almost drooling at the prospect of pizza.

A frown formed on her face at the thought of Cissnei though. She seemed distracted and much more quieter than usual. Jessie hoped she wasn't getting sick or something.

Deciding she would talk with her about it later, Jessie headed towards the outskirts of town to take a stroll through the local woods, patting one of her pockets to make sure she had that summon Materia from Gongaga with her. Just in case.

Being born and raised in Midgar, Jessie had acquired an appreciation for nature now that she had seen how the world looked outside that steel Moloch of a city.

She closed her eyes as she passed the first row of trees, listening to the leaves rustling softly in the wind coming from the mountain, creating a soothing melody that made all her worries evaporate.

Jessie deeply inhaled the fresh, herb spiced air, letting it mingle in her lungs for a bit before exhaling again. For a moment, it was like she was floating and there was nothing but peace.

But that peace was soon disturbed by the sound of a branch snapping nearby. Snapping her eyes open, Jessie turned to see a deer standing there, looking at her with its wide eyes as it chewed on some grass.

"Well, hello there," Jessie said with a smile. "Now where did you come from?"

The deer just looked at her, obviously not understanding a single word she said, but tilted its head adorably. It remained where it stood even as Jessie slowly approached it, carefully taking a single step at a time to not scare it away.

She was just about to reach out and stroke it when its ears perked before jumping away.

"Hey!"

It came to a stop a few yards away from her, looking at her once more with its wide eyes, then turned and hopped away.

 _Oh, so you want to play?_ With a grin, Jessie dashed after it. Of course she had no way to catch it, but she still followed its silent challenge, running past trees and small dirt hills.

Jessie was just climbing another one of those slightly weird looking hills, when something underneath her feet started to rumble, making her halt in her tracks. A big mistake, as soon after the ground gave away and pulled her down with it.

And shortly after; only darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The familiar scent of her mother's cooking entered her nostrils as she sat at the kitchen table, watching the older woman as she worked tirelessly on their meal with her back turned towards her.

"How are you feeling?" her mother asked, chopping the lettuce on the cutting board in front of her in half. "We haven't seen each other in so long now."

"I'm doing fine," Jessie replied. "Better, actually."

"I can imagine. Things with your girlfriend going good, too?"

An uncharacteristically shy smile formed on Jessie's lips, and she ran her hand over the smooth surface of the kitchen table. "Yeah. Things are great..."

"So when am I going to meet her?" her mother asked her teasingly.

"Mama," Jessie groaned.

"What? I think it's only fair that I get to meet the person that managed to make my little girl fall in love."

She let out a sigh of resignation and rested her head on the table. _Love, huh?_

It was true. She loved Cissnei, even if she had never told her in as many words. There wasn't some grand revelation to it either, she had simply just grown to love her and she couldn't imagine what it would be like if she had never met her.

So yeah, maybe it was high time she introduced her to her family.

"I'll bring her with me the next time I'm visiting. Promise," Jessie said.

She heard her mother step away from the counter and walk towards her before a warm hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"You've grown so much. It feels like yesterday when you were still a little girl." Her mother released a happy sigh. "How time flies."

Jessie couldn't help but smile and placed her hand on top of her mother's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry. I'll always be your daughter, Mama. No matter what."

She felt warmth spread throughout her entire body as her mother leaned closer to hug her.

"Then wake up, my child," an otherworldly voice said, before the world exploded into white.

Pain shot through her head, making her moan out. What the hell happened?

She had seen a deer. Tried to touch it but it ran away. She followed it, climbed a hill, then nothing.

From the way her head was hurting, though, it seemed like she had somehow hit her head. Moving her hand, she felt something soft and sticky underneath her fingers that moved with her when she raised her arm.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself in relative darkness, the only source of light coming from the muted glow of dusk from the hole above.

_Wha-? It's evening!?_ Jessie tried to sit up, but the world started spinning as soon as she rose more than a few inches, forcing her to lie back down. _Shit! Now what?_

She moved her hand to rub her eyes, but stopped when she saw something clinging to her nails. Little dry strands of...spider silk?

Looking down at herself, Jessie found that her legs, too, had some on it, and not only that, the walls were completely covered in it.

A gasp escaped her. Was this a spider den?

And a giant ass spider to boot if she had to take a guess.

_Okay, calm down Jessie...you're not a spider's lunch yet...maybe there's a way out..._ Taking a deep breath, Jessie forced herself into a sitting position, closing her eyes again to help against the spinning. Thankfully it passed quickly, making her able to take a look around.

Around her were a few bundles of straw, some partially wrapped in silk, others half laid out on the ground like some sort of bedding.

_What kinda spider needs a bed?_ Jessie wondered with some dry amusement despite her current predicament. Her eyes roamed over the walls, trying to find a way to perhaps climb out of the hole above, but she honestly wasn't sure if the silk could even carry her weight. She spotted a few tunnels, and checking one it only led to more darkness. The second one she investigated, however, seemed to lead outside, the dim light from the sun and a horizon of trees and leaf litter ahead. Jessie tested the hole, finding that it was large enough for her to crawl through.

She was just about to do so, when a clicking sound from right next to her made her slowly turn her head to find herself staring into four pairs of black eyes, each filled with four amber colored irises.

Jessie blinked once, and so did the eyes. She blinked a second time to make absolutely sure she wasn't having a hallucination, and so did the eyes staring back at her.

Those eyes attached to what looked like the face of a spider that had an affair with a doe in heat on a hot summer night.

She did the only thing that she could in a situation like this: she screamed.

The creature or whatever it was let out something like a shrill scream as well. Jessie immediately put as much distance as possible between herself and it, cursing her rotten luck when she bumped right into a silk covered wall, but she didn't have time to feel disgusted.

It seemed to have the same idea, scurrying away on its many legs to hide itself behind one of the straw bundles. Their screams echoed through the air some more, mixing into a duet of terror, before slowly dying down.

Jessie stared at where the creature was hiding. Was this a local monster? She had seen some bizarre looking critters in the slums of Midgar before, but this one was a special kind of weird.

It didn't attack her though, which was strange. Her eyes remained focused on the bundle of straw, not even blinking once. She watched as slowly, one of its goat horns appeared from behind its hiding place, before being joined by four of its eight eyes. It was shaking slightly.

Was it...scared?

Swallowing hard, and against her better judgement, Jessie pushed herself away from the wall and started to crawl over to it bit by bit. The spider-goat creature jumped a little, but stayed where it was.

Jessie stopped a few feet away from it and gingerly held out her hand palm up, like she would do with a dog. "H-hey. Truce?"

A moment passed, then another, before it finally stepped out of its hiding place. It really wasn't the prettiest of things to look at, but it seemed to be harmless.

_This must be its nest,_ Jessie thought as she started to scratch the creature behind one of its droopy goat ears, causing its pedipalps to move and making it release a clicking sound.

"You know, for being a bit fugly you're actually kinda cute," Jessie said with a chuckle as she pulled her hand away. The little critter released a series of clicks and did a little jump.

She looked around for a moment, eyes landing on the hole above them. "Sorry for having busted through your roof there, but you look like you should have it fixed in no time."

In fact, its hands looked downright nimble, doing little gestures while _talking_ that were oddly human in nature. It had just finished a spin on its legs, when its eyes fell on something below her face; around her neck, to be precise.

"Hm? Oh, do you find my necklace interesting?" Jessie asked, looking down at it and then back at the harmless little monster. "It's from a beach. You probably never saw one, huh?"

It just stared at the shell, its eight eyes blinking evenly. All of a sudden it jumped towards her, making Jessie fall backwards, one of its tiny hands reaching out faster than she thought possible before snatching the necklace off her.

"Hey!" Before Jessie could do anything, the little thief scurried away towards the hole that led outside. With a growl, Jessie got on all fours and crawled after it. "Come back here!"

It had an easier time getting out, and by the time Jessie was outside once again it already had quite a bit of a head start, but she wasn't just going to take this sitting down.

The chase was on.

* * *

Cissnei looked around, trying and failing to contain that feeling of anxiety deep in the pit of her stomach as she stepped in the woods of Nibelheim. Her eyes scanned her surroundings for any sudden movements and her right hand was resting on the shuriken inside the bag that was hanging from her hip.

_Meet me in the woods at dusk, there's a meadow right at the center of it. Can't miss it,_ was what the message from Zack said, that she had received from Cloud earlier today, had read.

Her heart beat like a drum with every step she took towards her destination.

She needed answers, but she wasn't so sure if she wanted them anymore.

After Jessie had gone on her walk, Cissnei had snooped around town some more, not really caring if she was acting suspicious or not anymore after the previous night. For all accounts, Nibelbeim was a normal mountain village, but she could feel it now; something lurking underneath it all.

The feeling had only intensified when amongst the townsfolk she had found another person from the missing team, a Shinra Trooper by the name of Duncan, walking along the pathway with a woman that had her arm looped around his.

_What the hell happened here?_

Even now it was like something was trying to claw its way into her mind. Was this really their god? Or was she just going crazy?

And where was Jessie? She hadn't seen her at all since she left earlier.

Cissnei hoped she was okay.

_Don't be silly,_ she told herself. _She probably just got roped into helping out._

But was that really a good thing with what she knew about the town now?

Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought. One thing after another.

It took a while, but she eventually spotted the familiar black mess that was Zack's hair in the distance. He was standing near what looked like a small spring. His arms were folded and he tapped his foot, occasionally looking about.

He stopped once she stepped into view, fixing her with a long look.

"Cissnei..."

"Zack..."

His eyes dropped to the bag at her hip where she kept her weapon concealed, his gaze turning into a piercing glare. "I came unarmed, you know?"

" _If I were you, I would pack up and leave as soon as possible. You won't find anything here. The land itself hated Shinra enough to get rid of it all."_ The words Vincent had said echoed inside her mind, making her grip her weapon more tightly.

"If the land hates me, I think I'd rather have something to protect myself with."

He made a face and tilted his head to the side. "I don't think it hates _you_...I mean, you're a guest, right?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I still was with Shinra."

"So was I," he said evenly.

"And what are you now?" she asked.

He averted his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. "...I'm just a villager."

"In a town full of cultists."

He gave her a critical stare. "Hey, now!"

"I talked to someone about it already. So, you abandoned the company for sex rites?" she all but spat, and Zack actually looked offended by her words.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said as he shook his head.

"Then tell me!"

Zack chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "First, tell me why you're here. On vacation with your girlfriend? Or is she a new Turk I don't know about?"

She felt anger well up inside her, making her take a step forward. "Leave Jessie out of this. She has nothing to do with either Shinra or the Turks!"

"Dunno if I believe it..." Zack put his hands on his hips.

Cissnei rolled her eyes. "Come on. You have to have noticed how oblivious she is to her surroundings. She's as distracted as you are sometimes."

She dropped her gaze. "Or were..."

"You think I've changed that much?" he asked her, his voice forlorn.

"What did this cult do to you…?"

Zack released a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not a cult, and I just...had a heart to heart, you know?"

"With whom?"

"Niblrung," he said simply.

" _Who?"_ Was that their leader?

"The god of these lands. He told me a few things. About the world, Shinra, and even Aerith."

"And how did you talk to a so-called god?"

"Th-that doesn't matter!" he stammered. "The important part was to make sure that Aerith was safe from Shinra."

Something really wasn't adding up here. "Safe from Shinra. You mean they brainwashed you?"

"I wasn't brainwashed! They wanted to use her to their ends!" Zack now glared at her. "To lead them to their so called 'Promised Land', and they would've thrown her to Hojo to make sure she fulfilled her _purpose!_ "

"How do you know this?" she asked. "How would a mountain god know..."

This didn't really make any sense. What would the local god of a town so far away want with the last of the Ancients?

"What are Niblrung's motives?" she inquired.

"He wants to preserve the Cetra."

"Is that _really_ all?" She didn't really believe that was all. Zack bit his lip once again and turned his gaze away. Then it all became clear. "...He had something to do with Midgar, didn't he? Is that why you brought Aerith here?"

She watched him close his eyes and nod. The air left her lungs at the revelation. What in the world was this Niblrung? No...actually, she didn't care at all. Her life, everything that she had worked for, was gone because of all this. And it wasn't just her. Jessie, too, had suffered from this.

The grip on her weapon tightened, her knuckles going white as she did so, and she gritted her teeth. "So many people's lives were upended...And you're here, fishing and traveling and fucking!"

Cissnei didn't even let him get a word in before she dashed towards him, jumping to deliver a kick against his sternum that she knew wouldn't really hurt the former SOLDIER, but would be enough to knock the wind out of him. Zack gasped and was pushed back against one of the many trees. As she landed again, a flash of silver and red jumped out of her bag, her hand moving blindingly fast to hold one of it's sharp blades up against Zack's exposed throat.

She glared at him, hand shaking as her eyes found his, the mako infused blue having given away to two sets of four diamond shaped amber irises that glowed in an abyss of pure darkness.

Her eyes widened in shock, a small gasp leaving her mouth. "...What happened to you?"

"I became one of them. The Fjallfolk, the people of the mountain. We're one with it, and it with us."

"Why...How?"

Cissnei closed her watery eyes and released a deep shaky breath before dropping her weapon. "Zack..."

"C-Cissnei...Oh..." He quickly stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I, uh...I don't really know what to say."

"You have no idea what I went through," she found herself saying. "We were worried about you. I thought you were dead, but you..."

Before she could say more, Cissnei found herself pulled into a hug. Her eyes stung with tears unshed for so long, now running freely down her cheeks.

"...I guess I got caught up in all this," he whispered. "I didn't mean to forget about everyone."

"You're an idiot," Cissnei shot back, making Zack chuckle.

"Yeah. I know."

They remained like this for a while, neither saying anything, and Zack simply holding Cissnei. She wished she could hate Zack for what had happened. For all the lives that were destroyed, but she just couldn't. Didn't she once lie to him when she was assigned to keep an eye on him?

Everything was just so messed up.

Gently pushing herself away from him, Cissnei locked eyes with him once again, the black and amber having turned back into that familiar eye color she knew.

"I'm sorry. For everything," Zack said, his hands still on her shoulders.

"Yeah. Me, too," Cissnei replied. "I just wanted answers for what happened here. I didn't really expect this."

"If it means anything, no one here ever wanted to harm innocents. The goal was to stop Shinra from slowly killing the planet. It...wasn't as clean as we hoped it would be..."

"...But I guess you can't stop casualties from happening." She knew about that all too well. With a sigh, Cissnei leaned down to pick up her weapon, putting it away safely inside her bag and readjusting it. Zack gave her a small smile that she returned with one of her own.

"Hey! Come back!" a very familiar voice shouted in the distance. "Give that back, you little thief!"

"Is that-?"

"Jessie!" Both of them whirled towards the direction from where Jessie's voice came to see her girlfriend running after something that looked like a mix between a spider and a goat. Both were headed into the direction of the mountain.

"Shit!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Get back here!" Jessie shouted, panting a little as she partially ran and climbed up the mountain trail after the thieving little critter. She didn't even realize where they were headed, but even then Tifa's warnings about staying away from Mt. Nibel would have fallen on deaf ears.

_I'm taking back what I said about you being actually kinda cute!_ Jessie thought as she rested against the side of a rock, watching as it scurried away tirelessly on its many legs.

"Un...fair," Jessie complained and pushed herself forward again.

It headed down a path that split off the main one, curving around like a snake about to strangle its poor victim, before vanishing into a cave. She stopped in front of it, nearly doubling down as she tried to catch her breath. Looking up at the sky, Jessie saw that it was getting darker. She needed to get her shell and get back to town. Cissnei was probably worried sick by now.

_Alright, end of the road for you_ , Jessie thought and stood up straight. If the thing was going to cause trouble, she would sicc her summon at it.

The first thing she noticed about the space she entered was that it was obviously man made, as it was more of a chamber than a cave. The second was the thieving critter, holding her shell in its grubby little hands and letting out a series of clicks before placing it on what looked like some sort of altar.

The sight itself weirded her out, but it was no where near the level of aggravation that she was feeling right now. Jessie walked towards it, eyes glaring holes into the back of its creepy little head. When it finally seemed to notice her presence, it let out a little shriek and scurried away, climbing up one of the walls and vanishing into a hole near the top.

"Coward," Jessie snorted, then turned her attention to what belonged to her. She snatched the shell away, inspecting the chain. _Great, completely snapped. Little piece of—_

Her thoughts trailed off as her gaze took in her surroundings more. The walls were covered in paintings and carvings of which she had never seen the likes of before. A bit more in the middle was another sort of altar, but aligned in a different way. And behind the main altar she spotted a statue.

If that critter from just now looked ugly, then this was truly alien. An even more horrendous cross between a goat and spider, was carved out of the wall. It looked like it was seated, arms spread out invitingly and revealing its bulging red stomach for everyone to see. The eyes carved into the statue looked ahead, keeping watch over everything and everyone inside.

Jessie locked her gaze with one set of them and had to wince when a sharp pain shot through her head. Then after the pain, she felt something else; a buzzing in the back of her mind, slithering and convulsing around the edge of her sanity, trying to wiggle inside like a worm in a rotten apple. She tried to tear her eyes away, but to no avail, and instead found herself drawn to this idol, her feet carrying herself closer and closer towards it.

Tentatively, her hand reached out almost on its own and placed itself on the materia that formed the belly. A deep rumbling went through the cave –or was it just in her mind? – and the materia started to glow a bright red that forced her to shut her eyes.

When the light faded again, she felt the wind on her skin, brushing against her cheek. A shriek next to her made her open her eyes once again to find herself standing in the middle of a road. Someone ran towards her, panic in their eyes, and Jessie was flung to the ground as the person pushed her roughly aside.

More people ran past her, forcing her to curl into a ball, and soon chaos broke loose, screams and gunshots echoing through the air. Jessie rolled to the side, barely managing not to get trampled as everyone around her went raving mad. She quickly got back onto her feet and looked around at the nightmare unfurling in front of her.

A giant shadow turned the day into the blackest of nights, and thunder crashed through the air amidst all the other sounds; a symphony of madness defying all logic.

Fear gripped her entire being when something reached out towards Sector 0, before a cascade of horror was raining down on Midgar.

_No no no no no nononononononono!_

A sound like she had never heard before came from behind her, so loud that her eardrums could've burst, and despite every fibre of her being screaming at her not to do it, she turned around.

There, up in the sky, partially covered by the clouds was a giant eye. Inside it, a thousand smaller eyes looked upon the people of Midgar as they all went mad at the sight of this...impossibility. Something shifted inside it, and Jessie could feel some its amber irises taking note of her. Staring at her. Through her. To her very core.

And Jessie screamed.

* * *

Cissnei ran as fast as she could, following Zack as he led the way up the mountain trail that Jessie had chased that monster towards.

"Why is Jessie chasing a monster!?"

"I have no idea. They're usually harmless," Zack replied.

"Usually!?"

"Well, she _is_ chasing the little guy, isn't she!?"

Cissnei didn't really have a comeback for that, so instead asked: "What _is_ that creature?"

"We call it a Dugafel. A _little helper of the mountain_. They're generally friendly unless provoked, taking care of various things to, well, help the people living in the area."

"So, like a spidery groundskeeper?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Zack replied with a laugh despite the situation. "And house maids in a way. They adore children."

A frown crossed her features. She only had gotten a far away look at it, but she had a hard time imagining a child not being scared of it.

The two of them came to a halt when the path split, one leading further up the mountain, the other down a winding path.

"Where to?"

Zack's face became grim, and he slowly turned towards the other path. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Why?" Cissnei walked over to him. "What's down there?"

He shook his head. "No time. Come on!" he grabbed her hand and all but dragged her down the path until the two of them arrived at a cave. She was about to ask again, when a scream echoed from the inside.

"Jessie!" she shouted, and ran towards the entrance, mind immediately going blank. If something happened to her...

Zack was immediately behind her and the two stepped inside. There was Jessie, backing away from some hideous looking idol, waving her arms around like she was fighting off something.

"Back off. I said back off!" Jessie shouted, her eyes wide in terror. She let out another shout as she stumbled over the altar behind her, landing harshly on the ground, but immediately scrambling back to her feet, holding a hand out between herself and whatever she was addressing. "I'm serious!"

"Jessie!" Cissnei called out to her, but she didn't seem to hear. She watched as Jessie's other hand shakily moved towards one of her pockets and pulled out a bright red orb.

"Is that—"

"Oh, no!" Jessie held out the materia in front of her, and it slowly started to glow. "We need to stop her."

"Gotcha!" Without hesitation, Zack rushed towards Jessie, grabbing both of her hands and trying to push her back, but she put up a surprisingly good fight despite his SOLDIER enhancements.

"LET GO, LET GO!" Jessie screamed, now completely panicking, lashing out with her legs and even biting Zack's arm to make him release her.

"Ow!"

Cissnei rushed in as well, hands immediately going for the materia to wrestle it out of her girlfriend's grasp before the summoning was complete. Jessie was much stronger than she expected, or perhaps it was just the adrenaline of her panic attack, but it took all of Cissnei's efforts to pry the little orb of ancient knowledge out of her hand. It dropped to the floor, where it bounced off the stone a few times before rolling to a stop. Its glow had intensified over their struggle and she feared that it might already be too late to stop whatever mystical creature of old was inside it to come out and bring the entire cave down on them.

A few agonizing seconds passed before the glow dimmed, then faded away. A sigh of relief escaped her.

"A little help here –ouch!– quit biting me!" Zack gritted out, prying his arm free. A few droplets of blood ran out of the bite marks that Jessie had left. Cissnei grabbed one of Jessie's arms so that Zack could focus on the other, and together they managed to push her up against one of the walls.

"LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME!" Jessie cried out, trying to break free. Tears started to spill from the corners of her eyes, and her struggling died down a little as she started to beg. "Please..."

The sight tore her heart in two.

Zack turned his head and gave her a nod. She returned it and let go of Jessie, leaving it to him to simply keep her in place. Gently, Cissnei cupped her cheeks and locked eyes with her. It was like she didn't even see her; looking instead at something far away.

"No!" Jessie tried to pull away, but Cissnei kept her firmly there.

"Shh, it's fine," Cissnei tried to soothe her. "It's me, Cissnei. You're safe."

"I'm here." She leaned in close, resting her forehead against her girlfriend's. "Nothing is going to harm you."

What little struggle that was still left in her soon dissipated as Cissnei kept talking to her, and little by little her gaze returned to the here and now.

"Ciss...nei?" Jessie finally asked.

"Yeah," she replied, gently brushing her tears away with her thumb. Cissnei gave Zack a look, making him release Jessie, before gathering her into a tight hug. The other immediately clung to her, burying her face into Cissnei's neck.

As they held one another, she glanced over to Zack, who gave her a grin and crossed his arms.

After a while of simply holding each other, Jessie pulled back.

"Are you alright?" Cissnei asked.

"Not really, honestly, but I'm feeling better," Jessie admitted with a weak smile. She looked about, as if she had never been in here before. "I—what is this place?"

"Ahem," came another voice from the entrance, making them all turn towards it. "Perhaps I can explain."

It was none other than Cloud Strife.

"I saw you running up here and wanted to see what was happening," he said, picking up the fallen summon materia while walking towards them and looking at them with a concerned expression. He rolled it in his hand, looking the three over.

Cloud released a breath through his nose, then turned to Zack. "So, what caused this in the first place?"

"Uh, I..." Zack rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Jessie.

"A little monster stole my necklace! I managed to chase it in here and get it back. Then I noticed the idol there and-" For a second, her eyes took on that far away look, before returning to normal. "And...then I was back in Midgar. On that day everything changed."

"So that's why you panicked," Cissnei said and circled an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Yeah I—I remember everything now." Jessie ran a shaking hand through her hair. "But how?"

"Niblrung returned it to you. I don't know why, but he did," Cloud said.

"Nibelwho?"

"Niblrung," Cloud repeated. "The god who rules and protects these lands. He was the one that took away the traumatic memories of that day."

"Why would he do that?" Jessie asked.

"Because Niblrung isn't cruel. It was only Shinra that was to feel his hatred for what they did to these lands, and by extension the planet."

She shook her head sadly. "People still died that day...I...lost my home." After Jessie said those words, the statue began to glow once more.

"He says an upheaval was needed, or else the stagnation would have slowly drained the planet's life. If there was to be any future for our children, things had to be done," Cloud told them sagely.

Cissnei watched as Jessie lowered her head. "Couldn't there have been another way?"

"Listen," Zack then said. "Take it from me. You can't ask Shinra nicely."

"But—" Jessie looked at Cloud again. "So many people lost everything."

"But people now have a chance at a better life." He shifted his gaze between them. "Like you two."

Jessie turned to meet her eyes. If Shinra hadn't fallen, what would she be doing now? Spying on someone? Kidnap them? Assassinate them?

All for the good of the company?

She wasn't sure. What she _was_ sure of was that she wouldn't have met Jessie and gotten closer to her; grown to love her.

Just looking into Jessie's eyes told her that she was having similar thoughts of her own, and Cissnei pulled her closer still.

They both had lost so much, but also gained much in return. And Cissnei didn't want to lose this.

Jessie sent her a little smile, taking hold of her hand and giving it a squeeze. She then returned her gaze to Cloud.

"I guess what's done is done," she said. "Only thing we can do is move forward."

"Mhm." Cloud nodded, before frowning. "But, now you know of our shrine."

"So?"

"This place is only for the fjallfolk."

"Cloud..." Zack gave him a pointed stare. "Come on, man."

The blond shook his head. "You know Niblrung's laws. Humans that enter here must be—"

"I don't think that will be necessary!"

Everyone turned towards the entrance to see Aerith walking inside. She gave the group a small grin.

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Instead of answering, they watched the Ancient walk up towards the idol and kneel down to the ground to pick something up. She then walked past the altar and held up the seashell Jessie had found that one night so many months ago.

Aerith took Jessie's hand and placed it in her palm.

"My shell?" Jessie asked.

"I told you it brings good luck," Aerith replied with a wink, before turning towards Cloud. "Jessie isn't just any human. She's a messenger."

"What do you mean?" Cissnei asked.

"This isn't just any shell, either. It's a shell of the Sea Lady. Tell me, Jessie, have you had any strange dreams ever since you found it?"

Jessie looked stunned for a moment, but slowly nodded. "Yeah. I dreamt of a woman, with golden hair."

"That's her," Aerith said. "The mountain and the sea have been connected for a long time, even as the mountain was sleeping, their connection persisted."

The Ancient pointed at the shell. "This is a message from her to Niblrung. And you have been chosen by her to be her messenger."

Jessie's mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally managed to say: "W-why me? And how?"

"That I do not entirely know. I think she might have picked you because she could feel that you were missing something," Aerith said, slowly closing Jessie's hand around the shell. "You coming here was no coincidence. She guided you. And now you've regained what you've lost. Even if the execution might have been better."

That last one she said with a look towards the idol of Niblrung.

"I—and what now?" Jessie asked, at a loss.

"Now, I have to disappoint Cloud by telling him you two won't be joining our community, because you're needed elsewhere." She looked at the spiky haired young man and shrugged. "Sorry."

The pout forming on his face was almost comical.

"So...I was picked to be a messenger of some old and strange goddess to be what? A mailman?"

"Pretty much! Don't worry, it's not hard. You'll know what to do soon enough," Aerith said and patted her hand one last time before letting go.

Jessie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "This entire thing sounds completely crazy, but after everything I've seen today I believe every word you just said...I'll do it."

Cissnei looked at her in surprise while Aerith clapped her hands in delight.

"That's great!"

"Jessie..." Cissnei said.

"It's fine. I think I understand. Before I left Kalm, I always looked out west, towards the sea. Like something called me. Turns out, something did. And...it feels right. Like this is what I'm meant to do."

Any protest she might have had died on her lips as she saw Jessie give her the brightest smile she had ever seen on her face, and Cissnei couldn't help but return it. "...If that's what you want, I'll support you."

"That's also good. Because you're going to have to protect her," Aerith said. "But I think that's not going to be hard, hm?"

Cissnei felt heat rush into her face at those words. Yes, it wouldn't be hard at all.

"Well," Zack said, clapping Cloud on the back. "All's well that ends well!"

"The town could've used a mechanic," Cloud mumbled.

"Now then!" Aerith addressed them all with a huge grin. "I dunno about you, but I'm getting hungry. So how about we head back?"

"Yeah. Sounds good," Jessie said and took a step forward, but almost collapsed if not for Cissnei holding her.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Cissnei said and placed Jessie's arm around her shoulders to support her.

"Heh, thanks. Guess I'm more tired than I thought," Jessie said while Cissnei guided her to the entrance of the cave.

"Running up a mountain trail does that."

The two of them followed the other three as they led the way back to town.

"So...you know this Zack guy?" Jessie asked.

"It's a long story that is better told sitting down. There's a lot that I've never told you about me."

"Yeah, you're still kinda a mystery to me," Jessie playfully groused.

"I know." Cissnei took in a deep breath of fresh, mountain air. "But, not any longer."

"Mhm. Alright."

Cissnei released a little sigh. "So what are we going to do next?"

"First let's get some food. Then some sleep. And after that..." Jessie smiled and looked up at the sky where the first stars were shining brightly. "Let's go home."

Home.

Home sounded wonderful.


	21. Chapter 21

**Epilogue**

It was weird. They hadn't been here long, but Jessie could tell that she was going to miss this place.

Of course, she knew that it wouldn't be permanent; that her new duties, which still sounded strange to her, would lead her back to this quiet mountain town that was hiding such a big secret.

She looked at Cissnei, who was busy packing up a few last things. After going to bed, she had told her a few things. How she hadn't been honest with her about her past. That she had previously worked for Shinra as one of the Turks.

It was surprising, yet not at the same time.

And it didn't matter. Shinra was gone; Cissnei was here, with her. That was what mattered.

"Everything ready?" she asked her.

"Almost," Cissnei replied while closing the zipper on her backpack. "There!"

Jessie looked around the room that had been theirs the past couple of days. "Guess that's it, then."

The couple left the room and headed downstairs, where they found Tifa waiting for them.

"You got everything?" she inquired, a sad smile on her lips. After she had heard what happened she had spent the better part of the evening apologizing to them, even though it wasn't really her fault.

"Yeah." Jessie nodded.

She watched as Tifa walked over to the counter where a package was lying and picked it up.

"I made you a little something for the road," she said and handed it Jessie. "Oh, your materia is in there, too."

"You didn't need to, you know?"

"Just let me clear my conscience a little, okay?"

Jessie chuckled. "Sure."

"I also have something for you," Tifa said to Cissnei and handed her a letter. "It's from Zack. He asked me to give it to you since he's already out on another monster hunt."

Cissnei looked at the letter for a moment before putting it away. "Thank you."

Tifa nodded and looked at Jessie once more, her smile much bigger now. "I was also asked to give you this."

Reaching into the pocket of her dress, Tifa pulled out a beautiful chunk of amber, the color of honey and shaped like a dew drop. "The mountain wants this given to the sea. You'll know where."

Jessie looked at it for a moment, before taking it. "I have an idea," she replied.

After that, Tifa accompanied them towards the town's gate where Cloud was waiting for them with two Chocobos.

"You know...We could've used a mechanic like you," Cloud wistfully remarked to them as they stopped in front of him.

"I'll be around, ya know. Hey, we're both mailmen now!" Jessie said jokingly, making him chuckle.

He stepped aside to let the two of them get on their Chocobos and took his place next to Tifa.

"They'll find their way back home on their own, don't worry," he assured them.

"Thanks," Jessie said, patting the side of the fluffy bird's neck and eliciting a happy noise from it.

"I hope you're going to return soon," Tifa said.

"Who knows?" Jessie shrugged. "But don't worry. We won't be strangers."

"Well, I hope that even without a message you can come to visit us," Tifa said and stepped a little closer to Cloud, giving him a knowing smile. "Maybe around...nine months?"

She blinked for a second, before realizing what she just said. "Holy crap, congratulations!"

"Thanks." Tifa giggled. "I learned of it this morning!"

"Uh...how? I didn't see any pregnancy tests at the general store," Jessie said.

Tifa winked. "We fjallfolk have our little tricks."

"I bet..." was Cissnei's dry reply.

"Well, it's time, guys." Jessie gripped the reigns of her Chocobo. "See ya around, you two. And say bye to the others for me."

"Don't worry. We will," Cloud said.

The young couple waved after them, as the two of them rode off, leaving Nibelheim behind.

As they left the town's premises, Jessie saw that Cissnei had pulled out the letter from Zack and opened it. She read it for a couple of seconds before smiling.

"What is it?" Jessie asked.

"A wedding invitation."

"Huh. Guess we'll have to go shopping once we're back home."

"Yeah..." Silence set over them for a moment, before Cissnei said: "Hey, Jessie?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Her heart skipped a beat at hearing the words she had secretly longed to hear for a while now, and she couldn't help the small blush that stained her cheeks red.

"I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap. I will admit this one was a full on indulgence piece, but I hope some of you still found enjoyment from it. 
> 
> I'm not sure yet, but I'll probably return to these two down the line. For now this is it though.
> 
> See ya around!

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are, at the start of a new, and quite different, journey for our dear Jessie. Stay tuned, more to come.
> 
> See ya.


End file.
